2,000 Sixth Graders Race to The Iredell County Fairgrounds For The Fifth Annual Careers on Wheels

Careers on Wheels, a cornerstone event of Iredell Ready, a workforce initiative created to cultivate career exploration, promote lifelong learning opportunities, and close the skills gap for Iredell County employers is hosted by Iredell-Statesville Schools, Mooresville Graded School District, Mitchell Community College, the Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce, and Iredell Economic Development Corporation.  The event exemplifies the Iredell Ready priorities:

• Preparing the Pipeline
• Strengthening Industry & Education Partnerships
• Creating Relevant Learning Opportunities 

Each business and industry provides small groups of students with an age-appropriate activity or demonstration to help students understand the business and the types of career opportunities available to them.

As they race into the Careers on Wheels event, these curious sixth graders are ready to explore their career options and start the conversation about their individual skills and interests. These conversations along with a variety of other touch points at the different grade milestones help students prepare for high school class selections. The sixth graders who rolled through the inaugural Careers on Wheels are now sophomores in high school enrolling in classes that ideally will lead to a credential or certificate and a successful career pathway – enrollment, employment, enlistment, or entrepreneurship.

Additionally, Careers on Wheels effectively demonstrates an intense commitment of Iredell County education institutions, county government, and business and industry to collaborate to promote and develop lifelong learning opportunities for the betterment of residents, enhance social mobility within our economy, and assist citizens in obtaining gainful employment within Iredell County.

“As the 5th Annual Career on Wheels exposes 2,000+ 6th-grade students to potential careers in Iredell County, we see the benefit of countywide collaboration with K-12 education, Mitchell Community College, Iredell Economic Development Corporation, and local industries and businesses,” explains Kevin Wilson, Career and Technical Education Administrator, Mooresville Graded School District. “This event is a strategic component of the district plan to create career exploration activities for students beginning in fifth grade, providing our graduates the background and knowledge to plan their future post-graduation. Our goal is to empower all our students with the necessary tools whether they seek Enrollment, Enlistment, or Employment.”

“Careers on Wheels is a great opportunity for our 6th graders to see, touch, feel, and experience a multitude of careers all in one event,” says Tim Woody, Executive Director of High Schools and Career & Technical Education for Iredell-Statesville Schools. “The goal is to ignite a spark of interest in a career pathway based on their experiences from the day.”

Juli Tipton, Career Development Coordinator of Middle School Programs for Iredell-Statesville Schools adds, “Organizing Careers on Wheels for the last five years has been a huge undertaking, requiring endless hours annually to coordinate 2000+ 6th graders, hundreds of educators, 75+ businesses and industry partners, volunteers, donations, and too many details to count, but it’s so worth it! What began as a means to introduce sixth graders to career exploration as they enter middle school has grown into Iredell County’s largest collaborative career event. The most rewarding part is the lasting impact it has on students. Hearing students say it was the “best field trip ever,” or learning that high school students fondly remember Careers on Wheels as an event that inspired them to explore career pathways through CTE courses is a reminder of why this work matters. Careers on Wheels is more than an event—it’s a testament to what we can accomplish together when we invest in our students and help them discover what’s possible.”