Students get close look at local careers

Skipping the normal reading and writing for a few hours, students on the north end of the county spent part of their school day Wednesday trying on a few careers for size.

Jill Pickett

Andrew Rittmeier, with Technical Training Aids, talks to students Brandon Holt, right, and Evan Behrend about robotics as other students look at a robotics certification cart Wednesday during a career exploration fair at North Hardin High School.

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Jill Pickett

Bobby Delcoco of Lincoln Electric watches as student Dustin Bury tries a virtual welding trainer Wednesday during a career exploration fair at North Hardin High School.

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Jill Pickett

Chad Bramer of Balluff talks about various sensors and automation technology with student Joshua Garrett Wednesday during a career exploration fair at North Hardin High School.

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The first of three career exploration fairs for high school students in Hardin County Schools was at North Hardin High School. Eighth-graders and freshmen attended sessions in which they learned about a variety of careers, from industrial maintenance to culinary arts.

Freshman Armon Haynes started with a robotics session.

“It actually looks pretty interesting,” Haynes said.

Andrew Rittmeier, a sales and service representative from Technical Training Aids, demonstrated a device students work with to learn skills necessary for certification in the field.

“This is just giving students exposure to the field of robotics,” he said. Employees in the field are in high demand and students eventually could enter a high-paying position, he said.

Haynes said early in high school is a good time to attend such a fair.

“When you get in high school that’s when you start to think about your career,” he said. The fair provides avenues to explore interests, he said.

Freshman Dustin Bury tried out a virtual welding machine called a VRTEX 360, which is used for training. He also planned to attend an automotive session because of his interest in cars. He was supportive of the idea of the fair.

“I thought it was actually pretty smart so we can teach people how to learn about stuff we like,” Bury said.

Chad Bramer of Balluff, an industrial automation company, demonstrated various automation components, which relay bits of information about industrial equipment. He said he hoped the sessions would catch students’ attention because of the opportunities in the field.

“I think it’s something they need to start thinking about,” Bramer said.

College and career readiness has become a focus for Kentucky schools. With that in mind, HCS officials have sought ways to encourage post-graduation thinking in students, such as providing a planned college and career center.

Kelly Cantrall can be reached at (270) 505-1747 or kcantrall@thenewsenterprise.com.