20 Oct From Classrooms to Careers: How the 7th Annual iamSTEAMCLT Expo Shapes Charlotte’s Future Workforce
On October 7, the 7th Annual iamSTEAMCLT Youth Career Expo brought over 300 students and 28 educators, employers, and community partners together for an interactive experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM). The event connected students from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) and youth and young adults from Next Gen programs with opportunities to explore careers beyond the classroom.
Connecting Classrooms to Careers
From creating stop-motion films with Arts+ Studio 345 to exploring robotics with Queen City Robotics, students saw STEAM concepts in action. Exhibitors offered interactive experiences, including 3D printing demonstrations with Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC), a heavy-equipment simulator with Fessler & Bowman, and demonstrations and gear try-ons with the Charlotte Fire Department.
Students gained lab experience making their own hand sanitizer through the STEM Laboratory Program at The Pearl, create with 3D pens and control a coded video game with Discovery Place Science, and learn the science behind sports and style with Project Scientist.
For Sheena Ashley, Director of Workforce Career Development at CPCC, the goal was to help students discover something new. “I hope our students see something that they are interested in here today. Maybe learn about a new career they hadn’t thought about going before or play with a piece of technology that they’d never seen or been exposed to and just get a spark that sets them on a great career path.”
Learning From Experience
The expo also gave employers and educational institutions a chance to share information about internships, apprenticeships, and training programs that can help students turn their interests into careers. Atrium Health introduced students to clinical and non-clinical healthcare opportunities, while Coca-Cola Consolidated highlighted pathways in equipment service and technical maintenance.
Students also learned about aviation careers with the Federal Aviation Administration, finance with Truist, construction with R.J. Leeper Construction and She Built This City, and advanced manufacturing with BHS Corrugated.
The expo also featured an on-stage discussion with Matthew Wykoff, a CMS educator of more than 20 years and a Project Lead the Way engineering instructor. Drawing on his experience in education and engineering, Wykoff emphasized that all students benefit from engaging with industries they might not be initially interested in, such as engineering, because they develop important and diverse skill sets.
“Design-process thinking: how you can analyze a problem, identify a problem, develop the solutions to those problems. And that’s applicable in everything you do in the workplace and in your professional lives.”
He also encouraged students to pursue job shadowing, internships, and apprenticeships to build their skills and connections. Most importantly, Wykoff stressed the importance of empathy, curiosity, and keeping an open mind as students navigate their future careers.
Exploration Creates Opportunity
For Charlotte Works President and CEO Anna London, iamSTEAM offers students an innovative way to discover careers and industries.
“That’s what’s so special is getting students out of their classrooms, out of the schools, and engaging with employers, engaging with Central Piedmont and educational programs,” London explained. “They can learn more about industries that they may not see or learn about sitting in a classroom.”
Those experiences can help students identify new interests and better understand how to pursue them. London noted that students may not know what interests them if they have limited exposure to opportunities beyond the jobs familiar to their families and communities. Through iamSTEAM, students can explore those possibilities and learn about pathways to further education, training, and employment.
Building a Stronger STEAM Workforce
Brooklyn Matthews, a senior at Hough High School, shared that the expo provided “a lot of looks at different job opportunities,” adding, “I feel like it’s really helpful because a lot of these things I’ve thought about, but I’m actually going to learn more about them.”
Matthews spoke with representatives from CPCC about his interest in architecture, “They actually just informed me about their course and how they help you out.” He also spoke with the Charlotte Fire Department, “They helped me out a lot learning about things they do and how to get into it.”
As London emphasized, the goal is to support CMS’s initiative to ensure every student graduates “enrolled, enlisted, or employed.” By bringing students to the intersection of education and industry, iamSTEAM helps students see new possibilities for their futures while strengthening connections between local employers and the next generation of talented, driven workers.
The expo reinforces Charlotte Works’ commitment to cultivating meaningful career exploration opportunities and helping young people identify pathways that support them as they pursue their goals.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Charlotte Works’ Next Gen program helps young adults ages 16-24 turn career interests into real opportunities through year-round coaching, training, and job opportunities. Whether you’re exploring your options or ready to start your career, Next Gen supports your next step toward your future.
Learn more about Charlotte Works’ Next Gen program here.
Written by: Shannon Ferko, Communications Intern