Fifth graders from Lehighton Area School District got a firsthand look at potential future careers Friday when the Carbon Career & Technical Institute brought five of its programs to the Elementary Center for a morning of hands-on learning and exploration.

Michele Klock, cooperative education coordinator at CCTI, said the event gives students an early opportunity to discover interests that could shape their future education.

“We brought five of our different technical areas to give the fifth grade students a chance to do some hands-on career exploration,” Klock said. “It’s a great point in their educational journey to start thinking about what they might want to do, or at least what direction they might want to go.”

Students rotated through stations where they could try small, interactive tasks related to drafting and design technology, engineering technology, electrical distribution and automation, automotive service technology, and digital marketing.

Klock said the hands-on approach helps students make meaningful connections.

“They can get in there, try things, and say, ‘Wow, that was a lot of fun,’ or ‘I didn’t know how that works,’ ” she said. “Being able to do it and talk to us one on one can help spark curiosity about that particular area.”

CCTI has held similar sessions in the past, and Klock said she’s seen the impact on students’ interests.

“It’s wonderful to see girls trying things they might not have considered before and realizing they can do it,” she said. “There’s no such thing as a boy’s career or a girl’s career — it’s just a career. We want to open that idea to them.”

She said encouraging exploration in nontraditional fields is an important goal for CCTI.

“A nontraditional career is one where 75% or more of employees are of one gender,” Klock said. “We try to encourage all students to see themselves in those roles.”

Friday’s event was part of CCTI’s ongoing outreach with its sending districts, which includes visits to schools and hosting open houses.

“We come out and speak to eighth grade students, and then they visit us so they can see the building and the programs,” Klock said. “We also just held our open house where families can come up, see the programs, and talk with the teachers one on one.”

She said another opportunity for younger students to explore careers is CCTI’s summer career camp.”

This and our career camp really introduce younger people to what we have to offer,” Klock said. “It helps them see that these fields are out there.”

Klock said events like Friday’s are also part of addressing a larger workforce need. “We have a skilled labor shortage because for a long time the focus was on only one path,” she said. “But there are so many other important jobs that are needed — jobs that can’t be outsourced.”

She added that exposing students early to technical education helps them see how those skills apply to everyday life.

“If your car breaks, you need someone to fix it,” she said. “If you want to put an addition on your home, you need someone who can build it or wire a circuit. These are fantastic careers and high-wage earning jobs.”

Klock said she hopes students walked away inspired to keep exploring.

“This gives them an opportunity to try something hands-on,” she said. “If we can get them curious now, maybe they’ll find a career that excites them later on.”