JA Career Exploration Fair^™

JA Career Exploration Fair is an event where students learn about a range of career options across multiple career clusters. Volunteers share information about their businesses and/or jobs and students ask questions as the speakers or students rotate from station to station. This event is part of the JA Work and Career Readiness Pathway and can be placed in grades K–12, in-school or after-school/out-of-school. Activities and implementation design will vary based on grade level.

Objectives:

Student objectives will vary based on grade level. Generally students will:
Observe career speakers and the tools they use.
Identify the variety of careers people have in the community.
Express how jobs require specific interests and skills.
Relate the impact of personal interests and abilities on career choices.
Investigate a variety of careers and the skills, education preparation, training, and personal qualities needed for those careers.
Examine how school skills apply to career paths.
Explain the importance of staying in school and graduating high school.

Pillars of Student Success	Entrepreneurship: Minimal	Financial Literacy: Minimal	Work Readiness: High

Program Implementation	Program Grade-Level
Classroom Based	Grades K-12

Program Concepts	Program Skills
Abilities, Business, Careers, Choices, Community, Earn, Goals, Goods, Guest Speakers, Interests, Job, Pay, Resume, Services, Skills, Talent, Work values	Decision making, Formulating questions, Listening responsively, Making observations, Note taking, Reasoning, Social skills, Verbal communication

Program Sessions

Before the Career Fair (optional session, teacher-led)

Pre-JA Career Exploration Fair Session: 45 minutes

In the pre-fair session, students will assess their abilities, interests, work preferences, and values in preparation for the JA Career Exploration Fair.

The Day of the Fair (required session, volunteer-led)

Approximately 3-5 hours

The JA Career Exploration Fair schedule will vary based on grade level.

The Fair can either be set up in a gymnasium where students visit various booths, or in classrooms where students (or volunteer) rotate from classroom to classroom.

During the JA Career Exploration Fair, students engage with volunteers and learn more about different businesses and jobs.

After the Career Fair (optional session, teacher-led)

Post-JA Career Exploration Fair Session: 45 minutes

In the post-fair session, students will reflect on their JA Career Exploration Fair experiences.