INDIANAPOLIS — By the time today's middle school students graduate from college, Indiana will have more than 1 million job openings, according to Junior Achievement of Central Indiana. That's why organizers are preparing students for the workforce now.
Junior Achievement of Central Indiana presented by the Eli Lilly Foundation is hosting its seventh annual job fair.
JA JobSpark is a two-day, hands-on job fair designed to spark eighth graders' interest in a career. Around 11,000 students from 72 schools around Indianapolis are participating in the event, which takes place Sept. 20-21 this year.
The job fair consists of eight different clusters, and includes jobs in advanced manufacturing, engineering and logistics, agriculture, food and natural resources, architecture, engineering and construction, business and finances, government, law and public service, health and life sciences, hospitality and tourism, and technology.
Around 100 employers are donating their time to host students. While many of them are competitors, they're working together.
"They bring together these amazing experiences that students really won't find anywhere else. So, this is a memorable day for them but with long-reaching impact," said Jennifer Burk, president and CEO of Junior Achievement Central Indiana.
This is the first year the job fair will be held in-person since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beginning in January, employers that want to be part of next year's job fair can apply here.