An interactive expo giving Peoria-area 8th graders an opportunity to explore potential future careers will mark its 10th anniversary later this month.
More than 4,000 students from across Central Illinois have registered for the Greater Peoria CareerSpark on Oct. 28-29 at the Peoria Civic Center.
“The whole idea is, it is not ‘this is what you're going to be when you grow up;’ it's, ‘this is what you could be when you grow up,’” said Chris Setti, CEO of the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council that co-organizes CareerSpark with Junior Achievement of Central Illinois.
The event is designed as a hands-on opportunity to open students’ eyes and minds to high-demand industries such as health care, manufacturing, agriculture, information technology and more.
“Eighth grade might feel young for thinking about a career, but it's actually the perfect age to start exploring careers for young people,” said Setti. “Because when they get into high school, especially in some of our high schools here that have really great career technical education programs, they get to make some choices, even as freshmen, as to what classes they may want to take, or quite frankly, which classes they might not want to take.”
Setti said every 8th grader in Peoria, Woodford, Tazewell, Mason and Logan counties was able to register through their school, adding the event’s reach has gone beyond that.
“We had kids from the Vermillion area one year. We've had kids from down in Springfield; we've had homeschool kids, Catholic school kids, public school kids,” he said. “It's really a wonderful opportunity, and I think it's making a real impact.”
Since inception, more than 30,000 students have participated in CareerSpark.
“This has become a model; what we do here has become a model for the rest of the state,” said Setti. “We are listed as a ‘best practice’ on the Illinois State Board of Education's website, when it comes to career readiness.”
Organizers are seeking more volunteers to guarantee the CareerSpark expo runs smoothly.
“You don't have to have any particular skill to be a volunteer, other than a great attitude and a winning smile,” said Setti, noting there are morning and afternoon volunteer shifts of about three hours each on both days.
The expo offers two types of volunteer roles. General volunteers guide student groups through the expo, greeting them as they arrive and monitoring the entrances. Industry volunteers work within specific career cluster areas, helping to lead activities and demonstrate job skills.
Anyone interested in volunteering can register through the event website, www.gpcareerspark.org.
