BY KARISSA MILLER
Iredell-Statesville Schools, in collaboration with Mooresville Graded School District, Mitchell Community College and Iredell Ready, teamed up for the fourth annual Careers on Wheels event on Friday.
Around 2,000 sixth-graders from I-SS and MGSD traveled to the Iredell County Fairgrounds for the event. Representatives of nearly 70 businesses participated and provided a fun and engaging experience for the students.
Students had the opportunity to learn about local career opportunities in health care, advanced manufacturing, hospitality, tourism, and the automotive industry.
“I want students to ask questions, pique their curiosity and think about careers outside of the normal top five that students tell me. Ask me questions in class about advanced manufacturing and the companies and take a deeper dive by visiting their websites,” said I-SS Career Development Coordinator Juli Tipton.
The event helps sixth-graders to explore their skills, interests and potential career pathway. Moore explained that a state law requires public middle school students to complete a career development plan before they are promoted to eighth grade.
Scarlet Soriano, a Troutman Middle School student, said she enjoyed the hands-on experiences.
“I liked Toter and Bobcat the best,” she said. “I think it looks cool and they use STEM.”
DENSO General Services Manager Autumn Morrison said her company participates in Careers on Wheels each year to make sure students to know there are good jobs in Iredell County.
DENSO is a global Fortune 500 company and one of the world’s largest automotive parts and systems suppliers. The company is committed to developing a pipeline of local workers.
“We have a tuition program with Mitchell Community College. If they come here, work for a couple of years, we will reimburse them for their courses,” she said.
Barbara Briccotto, business development manager for Progressive Companies: Design, Architecture and Engineering, said this was the company’s first year participating in the event.
“We wanted to give back to the community and expose kids to career paths,” she said.
While visiting with company representatives, students could build a structure using spaghetti noodles and marshmallows.
“We talk about inertia, counter weights and building things on a good foundation off the start. I tell them what I’m seeing them doing right,” said Project Manager Journey Roth.
“We hope to engage them and make what we do exciting. I use my famous Lego example that architects are the ones that draw Lego instructions and then we hand it to someone else to build,” she added.
Careers on Wheels benefits both students and local companies.
“This event exposes students to different types of jobs, from advanced manufacturing to computer sciences and medical careers, the skills needed for them, and various training pathways, including information (in some cases) about how to have your post-secondary education paid for or tuition reimbursement,” said Iredell Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Jenn Bosser.
By presenting different career options, students can make connections to their school work and real-world applications, while also helping companies recruit future workers.
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