LCPS highlights ‘Careers on Wheels’ initiative that brought 95 community employers to 4th graders

Lenoir County Public Schools staff reported Dec. 9 on the district’s Early Workforce Development Partnership initiative, known locally as “Careers on Wheels,” which brought nearly 95 community employers and career demonstrations to fourth-grade students.

Organizers said the event is part of a K–12 continuum that begins career awareness in kindergarten and includes a two-year Major Clarity curriculum in fourth and fifth grade. During this, students complete a career-interest survey in fourth grade and see hands-on demonstrations designed to link school learning to careers.

District staff reported that 586 fourth-graders from every elementary school participated. Presenters included the Forestry Service (which provided an aviator/helicopter demonstration), law enforcement including SWAT equipment, fire and emergency medical services, power companies with bucket trucks, agriculture and soil-and-water conservation demonstrations, and an 18-wheeler from a local training center. Staff said students were allowed to touch equipment and try on safety gear, and principals and teachers reported positive student reactions. District officials said the event has run for four years, moved to the fall this year to accommodate agricultural schedules, and will be used to spur middle- and high-school pathway choices such as FFA, STEM and pre-apprenticeships.

The district described the initiative as an early-intervention workforce development strategy intended to broaden students’ exposure to career pathways beyond common responses on student surveys (for example, teacher, police, firefighter, doctor) and to show local careers that lead to sustainable employment. Presenters and community partners said they enjoyed interacting with students, and staff called the day “wildly successful.”