Explore Careers at the Junior Achievement Equipment Exploration Fair

Author: Cathy Essick
Work Readiness
Published: Thursday, 09 Jan 2025

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Image caption: Students explore hands-on career stations at the Equipment Exploration Fair, discovering tools, skills, and career paths with guidance from local industry professionals.

Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa is thrilled to announce the Equipment Exploration Fair, an engaging event designed to inspire 4th-grade students to explore a wide range of careers and industries. Scheduled for Friday, January 31, 2025, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the fair will host approximately 500 students from the Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) at the CRCSD Educational Leadership and Support Center (ELSC), located at 2500 Edgewood Rd NW, Cedar Rapids.

This hands-on experience aligns with the JA Career Exploration Fair®, a program where students learn about various career options across multiple clusters. Volunteers share insights about their professions, and students engage through interactive stations, observing career speakers and the tools they use. This approach helps students identify the variety of careers available in the community and understand how specific interests and skills relate to different jobs.

At the Equipment Exploration Fair, students will rotate through 15-20 interactive stations over two hours. Industry volunteers will demonstrate skills, tasks, and equipment, explaining their relevance to their careers. This setup allows students to investigate various professions and their associated skills, understand the education and training required, and see how school skills apply to career paths.

"The Equipment Exploration Fair is all about sparking curiosity and broadening students' understanding of the diverse career paths available to them," said Heather Henning, Junior Achievement’s Regional Experiential Learning Coordinator. "We’re thrilled to create an environment where young learners can engage directly with community professionals and envision their future in a meaningful and exciting way."

In preparation for the event, students will complete an age-appropriate Holland Skills Inventory to identify their strongest areas of interest within six key domains. This foundation enables them to develop thoughtful questions for business professionals at the fair, enhancing the experience's impact.

"At Cedar Rapids Community School District, we are committed to providing meaningful experiences that ignite curiosity and prepare our students for the future," said Dr. Tawana Grover, CRCSD Superintendent. "The Equipment Exploration Fair, in partnership with Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa, offers our 4th-grade students a unique opportunity to connect their classroom learning to real-world careers. We are thrilled to see our students inspired by these hands-on experiences and the professionals who bring their industries to life."

The Equipment Exploration Fair exemplifies the collaboration between educators, community leaders, and local professionals, providing students with opportunities to explore their interests and connect learning with career paths. Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa and CRCSD are dedicated to preparing students for future success by offering such impactful experiences.

Join us in shaping the future workforce by sharing your expertise and inspiring the next generation—contact Heather Henning at hhenning@jaeasterniowa.org to get involved!