Roughly 500 students from Van Wert and Paulding counties gathered at the Van Wert County Fairgrounds for Build Your Future Forward, an event introducing them to 16 occupations described as among the most sought-after in Northwest Ohio.
According to WLIO, participants rotated through stations covering health care, manufacturing, construction and skilled trades. They handled tools typical of those fields and received information about the education and training each path requires.
Lauren Buchanan, workforce development manager for Van Wert Area Economic Development, said the event offers a preview of what students would learn at Vantage Career Center or a trade school. She noted that many attendees were in elementary school during the pandemic, and said the featured jobs are intended to be artificial intelligence-proof, giving students a sense of job security and local earning potential.
Vantage seniors helped run the event. Kenadi Short, a senior in the Vantage construction program, said she grew up on a farm and credited an instructor with building her confidence and teaching her that mistakes are part of the work.
The Van Wert event has been held for about five years, the station reported.