The Paducah Sun
October 26, 2023
Used with permission.
More than 800 middle school students have more information about career options once they graduate high school after attending the 2023 WKY Launch Experience Wednesday at the McCracken County Expo Center.
Students left the event armed with packets containing information on education requirements for jobs, average salaries, and general career pathways. During the event, they also got the chance to visit with businesses in seven career sectors, including construction, health care, recreation and tourism, professional services, environmental engineering, transportation, and manufacturing.
The students were placed in groups, each of which spent 15 minutes in each business sector. An informational sheet from the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce said about 825 students were set to attend the 2023 WKY Launch Experience. The event was open to eighth-grade students in all school systems in Paducah and McCracken County, including Paducah Middle, Lone Oak, Heath, Reidland, St. Mary, and Community Christian Academy.
Chamber President and CEO Sandra Wilson said the event shows students the variety of job options that exist in their community.
“So many children don’t have the experiences to understand really what’s open in our community, so that’s really out goal — to expose them to a lot of different careers that we know they can get a job in our community,” Wilson said.
Those options were shared with students in hopes that they will stay in the community as adults, and strengthen Paducah and McCracken County’s future workforce.