More than 1,500 sixth grade students came by shifts throughout Monday to the Madera District Fairgrounds to get a glimpse of their potential futures.
Madera Unified School District’s Career Technical Education program hosted its second annual Career Pathway Fair in and around Hatfield Hall. The purpose is to allow students to consider possible careers — and related high school programs — before facing decisions about their later studies.
“We currently have 24 career pathways where students can take a full complement of elective courses in high school, and we feel like they can better choose their electives as they enter into middle school and high school by viewing a little bit of what’s going on here,” said Laura Toney, coordinator of college and career readiness for MUSD.
The fair featured career tables run by high school students as well as by local professionals from “about 30 different industry partners.”
“Our sixth graders get to walk by and see what it would look like in a classroom — what they would learn — and then question our partners in industry as to what they need to get an entry-level position in that career,” Toney said.
The sixth grade students have been using a “career online platform” all year “to learn a little bit more,” according to Kristin McKenna, director of college and career readiness for MUSD. “And today is kind of the final project.”