Carmel High School students recently gained exposure to a large variety of career opportunities at a two-day career fair.
The Junior Achievement of Central Indiana program for high school students focuses on employment, enrollment, enlistment and entrepreneurship.
The career fair, called JA Careerignite, was a collaboration of Junior Achievement, the Carmel Education Foundation and Carmel Clay Schools.
“The reason we are doing it during the day is because it is accessible for our students,” Carmel Education Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Penix said. “All of the students in a Pathway class, which is about 2,500 students, are coming to this and students can come on their own today.”
More than 60 companies were represented Oct 25-26 at the career fair.
Jennifer Burk, president and chief executive officer of Junior Achievement of Central Indiana, said the organization is pleased to have an expanding partnership with CCS.
“It’s really important to have the business involvement and give young people that opportunity to see what they can be and look at a vision for their future,” Burk said. “We believe at Junior Achievement that there is a pathway for every young person. They may all look different. They can think about their own talents, interests and strengths and how those align to different career options and choices, whether that involves trade schools, certifications, two-year or four-year degrees or more. We want them to see there are options for everyone.”
There were several industry clusters represented, including technology, manufacturing and engineering.
“A lot of companies have brought a diverse range of different jobs,” said Mariah Maier, marketing and communications manager for Junior Achievement of Central Indiana. “Ed Martin (Automotive Group) is representing 44 different careers within an automotive branch. It’s sparking a different way of thinking that they can work in an area they are passionate about.”
Freshman Sophia Floyd stopped by the casting table to make a starfish.
“I’m trying to get some different things to figure out,” Floyd said.
Vinod Agrawal had a robot display for Kids Explore Robotics, which several students stopped by to visit. His son, Aarav, a Center Grove High School senior, teaches robotics and coding to youths 9 years and older.
“Kids love the hands-on experience of building the robot,” Vinod Agrawal said.
Aarav developed video lessons to teach the youth. He also does Zoom classes once a week.
