INDIANAPOLIS — Thousands of eighth graders from schools across central Indiana are exploring future job opportunities this week through hands-on experiences with professionals.
Junior Achievement of Central Indiana is hosting the JobSpark career expo at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
"JobSpark is all about sparking an interest in students so they get an idea of what they may want to pursue post high school," JA JobSpark director Molly Baines said. "So thinking about that post-secondary plan, it really starts happening in eighth grade before they get into high school, when they pick electives and job shadows and think about what they want to do."
Students visited interactive demonstrations staffed by professionals in eight career clusters: Architecture, Engineering & Construction; Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources; Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering, & Logistics; Business & Finance; Government, Law & Public Service; Health & Life Sciences; Hospitality & Tourism; and Technology.
Indiana pork producers used a pregnant pig and ultrasound machine to spark interest in their field.
"Maybe they just haven't thought about working in our industry," said Chad Martin, a pig farmer from Flora. "So, we're just here to just provide them the insights and what it would look like on a day to day. What's the day in the life of a pig producer? And so that's exciting to see their interests light up."
The event is designed for hands-on fun with no pressure to pick a career right away. But perhaps some inspiration is sparked.
"I think it's very inspiring," said Jaelynn Dawkins, a student at Northwest Middle School. "And I also think it’s very cool because it's a lot of different opportunities for the new generation."
This generation that will be looking for jobs in as soon as five years.
UPDATE: Junior Achievement of Central Indiana contacted 13News Wednesday afternoon to notify us that Thursday’s final day of JobSpark has been canceled.
"A few students initiated fights at today's event. No weapons were involved. The safety of our attendees remains our top priority. While the third day of the event is being canceled, organizers look forward to next year," the organization wrote in a statement.
This was the first year the event was expanded from two to three days to give more opportunities for more schools and students. Now, those additional students will not have that opportunity.