31-05-2025
Hundreds of sixth-graders tour career center
ELKHART — Hundreds of sixth-graders visited the Elkhart Area Career Center last week to see what career opportunities might await them.
The tours gave 760 sixth-graders the chance to visit the career center and see two programs of their choice. They received demonstrations from the juniors and seniors who regularly attend, using laboratory equipment such as robotic arms in the Robotics and Engineering Technology space that can manipulate objects of different shapes and colors.
Career center students also explained their programs and answered questions about what it's like to attend, according to Brenda Metcalfe, career coordinator. She said the aim of the tours was to help educate younger students about what advanced manufacturing looks like and what opportunities are available.
'Every sixth-grader came through our program this week,' she said. 'We don't have that opportunity a lot, where you see our students sort of working with other students. ... They do a great job giving younger students a firsthand look at the opportunities available at the EACC.'
She said the career center hosts a variety of student tours throughout the year, including welcoming 846 eighth-graders and 120 10th-grade students from both Elkhart Community Schools and other sending school districts. The center also reaches out to the community in several ways, including the Adventures in Career Exploration summer camp at Tolson Center starting next week.
'Beyond tours, several EACC programs participate in career-based outreach for younger students across Elkhart County,' Metcalfe added. 'For example, our EMT students took part in the recent CareerQuest event for seventh-graders, while our Vet Careers and Drone Technology/Precision Ag students participated in Ag Day at the fairgrounds for fifth-graders. We also offer summer opportunities. EACC hosts an engineering and design-focused camp for rising eighth- and ninth-graders, and we're partnering with the Tolson Center for their career camps this summer.'
