Eighth-grade students from six school districts in Stanislaus County attended the fourth annual Career and Technical Education (CTE) Fair at Modesto Junior College on December 2. The event, organized by the Modesto Chamber of Commerce and Modesto City Schools, brought together approximately 3,200 students to learn about local career opportunities.
The fair allowed students to interact with professionals from various industries and high school students currently enrolled in CTE classes. According to Rachelle Barkus, senior director of educational options for Modesto City Schools, “We want our eighth-graders to be informed on what’s available to them when they do go to high school. We want our high school students to have the opportunity to share what they have found their passion to be while they’re in high school.”
Participating districts included Modesto City Schools, Salida Union School District, Sylvan Union School District, Shiloh Elementary School District, Empire Union School District and Hart-Ransom Union School District. Each student received a passport encouraging visits to specific booths and activities; upon completion of tasks listed in the passport, students earned rubber ducky prizes.
Before attending the fair, all eighth-graders participated in lessons focused on career exploration. This preparation enabled them to identify which careers and classes they were interested in learning more about during the event.
Summer Sisk, an eighth-grader from Salida Middle School, said she was particularly interested in healthcare careers. “A lot of my family’s a nurse, and I just think it’s really cool caring for people,” Sisk said.
Industries represented at the fair included digital media, engineering, culinary arts, public safety, construction and automotive technology. Many booths featured hands-on projects designed to give students practical experience related to each field.
One highlight was a lowrider car built by Modesto High School students with support from the Modesto Police Department. Organizers noted that CTE classes offered by districts such as MCS can also meet A-G requirements for admission into University of California or California State University systems.
“You think about construction, they’re learning measurements. When you think about culinary, they’re learning chemistry,” Barkus said. “There’s a lot of crossover between the practicality of CTE programs and the reality of applied academics.”
