Rebecca Davis, HJHS eighth grader, programs a robot to fetch a candy bar at the Endless Opportunities Expo’s Alabama Technology Network Thursday. Helping her is Paul Wilhite. Looking on at left is Madison Springer. | Clif Knight

Clif Knight

Hartselle Enquirer

Endless Opportunities 2015, an annual workforce development project of the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce, provided  Morgan County’s eighth grade students  a hands-on opportunity to focus on their future career choices Thur., Oct. 23. at Ingalls Harbor Pavilion in Decatur.

“We’ll have about 1,600 kids come through here today,” said Mandy Price, project chairperson. “They will meet prospective employers, play interactive fun games and learn valuable information that will be helpful to them in choosing their career paths.

She said each student was given a career assessment test prior to the exposition and were asked to mark their top three career choices on a card and use it to guide them while visiting the expo’s exhibitors.

“It’s a great event because it’s comprehensive and shows students where job opportunities are in the Tennessee Valley area,” said Dr. Vic Wilson, superintendent of Hartselle City Schools. “We use this to help them build a study plan when they move up to high school.”

“What these students see and learn today will help them make better career choices later on.” said Chris Blevins, Morgan County Career Tech director.

Sixteen career clusters were represented at the expo. They were: Agriculture Food and Natural Resources, Architecture and Construction, Arts, A/V Technology and Communication, Hospitality and Tourism, Marketing, Sales and Service, Business Management and Administration, Finance, Education and Training, Government and Public Administration, Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security, Health Science, Human Services, Information Technology, Manufacturing, Science, Technology, engineering and Math (STEM), and Transportation, Distribution and Logistics.

Professionals from each cluster engaged students in hands-on activities to explain how careers in each cluster are developed and how to prepare for them.

Every eighth grader in Hartselle City, Decatur City, Morgan County Schools and private schools were invited to participate in the expo.

“I think it’s important for kids to choose a career field before they enroll in college,” said HJHS student Shauna Alexander. “I’m happy the exhibitors came today to teach us what they do on a daily basis.”

“What we learn today will help us make a good career choices later on,” said Nic Bannister, a HJHS eighth grader.