Last Wednesday, over 900 Cobb County and Marietta City students covered the exhibit floor of the Cobb Civic Center for the 2nd Annual Future Fest. This event, led by the Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) Division of Cobb County Schools, 
provided an opportunity for middle and high school students from across the two districts to engage with businesses from various industry sectors to explore what those careers could look like for them.
Students not only heard about the great opportunities in these fields—many of which they may never have considered or been exposed to—but they got to see, touch, and feel these experiences themselves, as each business brought with them something that helps students gain more practical context of what it is they do. JE Dunn, for example, brought a tablet experience where students explored a virtual pre-visualization of a construction project by turning their body and twisting their arms to see every bit of the space. Georgia Trade School brought a few items to display, such as a welder’s mask, and students were able to hop in a simulator of a Caterpillar excavator, courtesy of C.W. Matthews—these are a small sample of the many different experiences at the event.
This effort was about more than getting students out of the classroom for the day. It was about painting a picture in students’ minds of what careers actually look like. As the Cobb Workforce Partnership continues its effort to connect students with high demand career opportunities, it is clear that exp
osure is often the first step. Events like Future Fest provide a great opportunity for businesses to take that first step towards giving students a better idea of what they want to do for their career.
If you would like to learn more about Future Fest, please contact Angela Kovachi Sparks at Cobb County Schools. For more information on how to get more involved with workforce development efforts in Cobb County, please contact Austin Riley at ariley@cobbchamber.org.
