For science-minded young people, the annual Community Career Education Forum is a STEM-centric wonderland.
Kids can meet with local manufacturers about career opportunities, learn about degree programs at local colleges and take part in hands-on demonstrations of robotics, 3-D printing and cutting-edge diesel engines, among other displays.
At the Process Training Unit, students and parents can go on a technology-based scavenger hunt using the same equipment Endress+Hauser employees train on.
And using a virtual reality program, they can see what it’s like to weld a piece of metal.
“Students are able to really simulate the feel of welding, but obviously it’s really safe. It’s the same equipment we use internally to train our welders,” said Emily Martin, senior operations manager at Endress+Hauser.
Old favorites and new opportunities abound during the Community Career Education Forum, a celebration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics designed for students in seventh, eighth and ninth grades. Students and their parents, as well as educators, guidance counselors and administrators, will have access to a wealth of information and activities throughout the night.
After three years of interruptions and altered schedules for the event, organizers are excited to once again show off the full range of STEM opportunities, both at Endress+Hauser and throughout Johnson County.
“Our focus was, how can we get this event back to a scale that is more to pre-COVID event times, and getting that excitement and engagement back to the community is really, really important,” said Nicole Otte, director of workplace development at Endress+Hauser. “Hopefully, we can do that by having the full-scale size, with no restrictions, around the event.”
Community Career Education Forum was designed to showcase the wide range of potential careers, education and recreation revolving around STEM. The event was founded in 2014 as a way to help schools, students and their families learn what skills employers are looking for in their workers, as well as see the diverse types of careers available in advanced manufacturing.
Endress+Hauser partnered with Central Nine Career Center and Aspire Johnson County to create the career forum, which has grown into a key way to foster interest in science and technology in the county. Organizers added grants for area educators as well, to encourage innovative STEM opportunities in county classrooms.
“It’s become a mainstay in the community. To be able to create that continued sense of community and sense of understanding for our organization and our partner companies within the community is the most powerful,” Otte said. “Then the intended consequence is we want to attract more students into these fields, but the biggest piece is getting their parents on board. So if we can create that awareness, it will create that opportunity for students to see it’s OK to explore.”
For the past few years, organizers have had to deal with pandemic-related disruptions to the Community Career Education Forum.
The forum transitioned to a virtual event in 2020 due to COVID-19, and in the fall of 2021, spiking cases forced Endress+Hauser to cancel it. They were able to hold the event in the spring of 2022, but some of the more popular activities and attractions were not included.
“We’ve been able to learn a lot and fine-tune this event, so I think we’re headed in the right direction to get it back to the size it was before COVID,” Martin said.
This time around, they’re bringing those activities back, Otte said. Participants will be able to go on tours through the production center to see how STEM comes in handy in real-world situations while spotlighting production in new ways.
“It’s always been an interactive event, and we want to be sure we’re keeping that theme,” Martin said. “We’re fortunate that we’ve had a lot of growth, so we’ll have some second-shift production going on during the event. We’ll be able to take students and their parents into the production areas so they can see up close where we’re making these devices.”
Endress+Hauser has also added greater emphasis on information technology. The company’s IT team will have a special set-up called Cool Tech to help students better understand technology and systems.
Organizers have partnered with Whiteland Community High School’s television production program to live-stream the event, as well as put together video of all of the activities going on, Otte said.
People can enjoy free food, drinks and dessert throughout the night, and a variety of contests, prize challenges and door prizes.
“Because we have such a wide variety of STEM activities and different things we’re exposing them to, it opens their eyes to the possibilities,” Martin said. “If they came in thinking an engineer just sits at a desk all day, they can really see that there’s all these different ways to apply that knowledge.”
IF YOU GO
Community Career Education Forum
What: A gathering for students and families to learn more about manufacturing and industry, higher education and career training.
Who: Hosted by Endress+Hauser, in partnership with Central Nine Career Center and Aspire Johnson County.
Where: Endress+Hauser, 2355 Endress Place, Greenwood
When: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 21
Who can take part: Students in seventh, eighth and ninth grades, their parents, STEM teachers, school administrators and guidance counselors.
What will be featured:
Career, education and information booths
Other local manufacturing booths
Meet college representatives and learn about degree and certification programs
Learn about Central Nine Career Center
Free food, drinks and cookies
Contest – Test your technical know-how
Prize challenges
Door prizes
How to sign up: RSVP by Sept. 18 at forms.office.com/e/qumY1kP8k7
