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Students of all ages from Conkwright and Justice Elementary schools had the opportunity to attend–what for many of them–was their first job fair last week.

The “Touch A Truck” event was planned by Conkwright guidance counselor Kari McGrath, Justice guidance counselor Robyn Jones, and staff from both schools’ family resource centers.

Representatives from city and county government departments, Creative Coffee, Hair By Monica, the nursing department at Morehead State University, Summit Community Bank, and many others were on hand last Thursday.

“We wanted to give our students opportunities to be able to investigate and identify different types of careers and jobs that maybe they have never heard of,” McGrath said.

The event also gave students a chance to speak with individuals who had jobs they had heard about.

“Like community helpers,” McGrath said. “And just be able to speak with firefighters or police officers and get a feel for what their daily lives are like. They will also be able to learn a little bit about is there is any education or training that has gone into them having their career.”

The event was also designed to show students other paths they can take besides going to college or trade school.

“We want kids to know that there are different options for their future and to give them a chance to explore that,” McGrath said.

There were also various trucks and pieces of heavy machinery for students to check out.

“It gives kids the opportunity to investigate different types of trucks and machinery, whether a police car, fire truck, or dump truck,” McGrath said.

It is never too early, according to McGrath, for students to begin exploring future career options.

“In elementary school, we are helping children identify a lot what their strengths are and what they are interested in,” she said. “Our hope is that they are able to find some different career opportunities where they think, ‘Oh, I haven’t thought about having my own lawn business.’”