BELLVILLE — Iona Hickerson sat in the cab of a CAT 303 Excavator, carefully pulling the levers at her waist.
It’s not how Hickerson, a freshman at Clear Fork High School, typically spends her lunch break. In fact, she’d never operated an excavator before Friday afternoon’s Mobile Career Fair.
Representatives from 40 local businesses set up behind Clear Fork High School on Friday afternoon. Students got to meet local business owners, ask questions and in some cases, operate equipment.
Hickerson stopped to talk with employees from Global Energy Partners, a pipeline construction company based in Mansfield.
Workers gave her a hard hat and a challenge — use the excavator’s arm and bucket to knock over balls that sat atop various traffic cones. Hickerson managed to do so without knocking the cones over.
“I did decent,” she said. “I took my time though.”
There was a familiarity to the task. As a farmer’s daughter, Hickerson has some experience with machinery.
“The gears are the same as a combine,” she said.
Language Arts teacher Judy Golden said all of the businesses represented were from a type of service industry that uses a specialized truck or other machinery. Industries ranged from military and first responders to utilities, construction and lawn care.
Each student was given a card and assigned to get four stamps. After meeting with at least four employers, they were allowed to purchase food and beverages from multiple food trucks parked onsite.
“We really appreciate the community and the businesses that came and the food trucks,” Golden said. “The kids were fantastic. I couldn’t have asked for better behavior and better manners.”
Mark Kimerlin, mitigation manger with Rainbow International Restoration, said he wanted to show students they can enjoy a quality life and career without a college degree.
Jon Stierhoff, lead designer and operations manager for Liberty Lawn Care and Landscaping, agreed.
“Our two owners are two brothers that started when they were in high school,” Stierhoff said. “It’s a 32-year-old company that they built. They didn’t go to college either, but they have built a very successful business and employ a lot of people.”
Golden said students at Clear Fork hear a lot about college opportunities. Activities like the Mobile Career Fair give students a comprehensive view of their post-secondary options.
“These were all local people, so the kids could graduate high school or even have a summer job right here,” she said.
Students in grades 6 to 12 attended Friday’s event — about 800 in total, Golden estimated.
“They were very engaged, asked a lot of really good questions,” Kimerlin said. “A lot of kids want to know the starting pay rate.”
Stierhoff said one of the most common questions he received was about job qualifications. While career tech programs in horticulture and construction trades can be helpful, Stierhoff said the biggest prerequisite for a job at Liberty Lawn Care is a willingness to learn.
“Our thought more than anything is aptitude and attitude,” he said.
Kimberlin said a high school diploma is required for an entry level job at Rainbow, but employees can get further training as their career progresses.
“There’s certifications you can get in different facets of the industry,” he said.
Hickerson said she’s not sure what she wants to do after high school, but she’d consider working somewhere like Global Energy Partners. She said she appreciated the career fair’s variety.
“It gives you a better idea of what’s out there,” she said. “I like to keep my options open.”
