By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Eighth-grade students at Maplesville High School had a chance to explore a number of career opportunities during the Worlds of Work Expo in Birmingham.

The event is hosted by AlabamaWorks!, an initiative of the Alabama Workforce Council.

“It was a lot about construction and a lot about technology,” student Alex Gould said.

Students were organized into groups that went to different displays at different times.

Student Evary Ryan said she enjoyed the displays about technology.

“They explained everything really well and you could go through, and it would help you decide which career path was right for you,” Ryan said.

Students also took a few tests and played some games to help determine what careers might be a good fit.

“(There were) a lot of hands-on activities, which was fun,” Ryan said.

People at different stations during the event talked about the requirements, how to meet the qualifications needed and how to pay for training for the job they were showcasing.

Students also received written materials about the jobs and business cards for them to take home for future reference.

“Everyone was super nice and willing to explain things,” Ryan said.

Gould said they also answered questions from the students.

He enjoyed the displays about road construction, trucks and paving.

The jobs related to paving roads especially interested him “because my road is really bad,” Gould said.

Students used simulators of some of the trucks to get a feel for what it would be like driving the vehicle.

Mercedes-Benz also had a few cars at the event, so students could see the different components and learn about auto industry and mechanic jobs.

“I was excited to see all of the different job options to figure out what you wanted to do when you got older,” Ryan said.

She was especially interested in the technician jobs.

“We learned how to program the robots and when we programmed them, it would pick up candy and bring it over to you,” Ryan said.