SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Dozens of Springfield area companies met face to face Wednesday with hundreds of Springfield high school students.

Western New England University brought them all together under the heading of a special internship and career fair. For Springfield school officials, this is the kind of connection that builds from becoming an intern to the opportunity for lifetime employment.

“For us, college and career goals are our main goals. Career readiness is giving the kids the opportunity to get internships and we know for our employers, the greatest need now is employees coming in,” said Springfield Public School Superintendent Daniel Warwick.

These high school students realize they may never get a better opportunity to establish a relationship with employees ranging from corporate giants like Big Y to employment opportunities with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department.

“I’m here because I’m looking for an internship hopefully, I’m looking for a job, I think it’s a really good opportunity for a lot of kids. Get yourself out there is about,” said Samantha Lopez, a junior of Putnam Vocational Technical Academy.

Western New England University President Robert Johnson told 22News, making this internship connection possible is what we do western New England, “Because western New England at its core, we’re preparing students for the powerful preparation for their future work, helping them to learn.”

It was a day where connections were made that could lead to a promising career or at the very least an internship in the immediate future.