By Arizona Reyes | Walker Valley High School

On Friday, September 27, 2019, The Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce organized and sponsored a Career Fair at Cleveland State Community College to expose local eighth-graders to different industries and businesses in the area. The companies shared their purposes and roles in the community, and several career-focused CTE courses available at the local high schools were highlighted.

Your Skills. Your Future. was featured at the career fair, educating students on how they can transfer their skills and passions into a career. Your Skills. Your Future. strives to connect existing industry opportunities to community members across Bradley County and the surrounding regions. Although there were many different industries and businesses showcased at the career fair, the middle school students were not pressured but encouraged to find which fields most interest them. If a student felt passionate about developing his or her technical or manufacturing skills, the companies shared the fact that technical careers are the backbone of the economy, ranging from advanced manufacturing to medical technology and administration, to information technology.

This career fair was a significant experience for middle school students. It offered a wide platform of information from each booth, and the students were given ideas about what could possibly interest them in the local schools and industries as they move forward with their education.