Clean Energy Career Fair gives students firsthand experience with sustainable technology

It's a beautiful Autumn afternoon at Osseo-Fairchild High School in Osseo, Wisconsin. Drones whiz above the grassy field. The murmur of electric trucks and sports cars is drowned out by the chatter of teenagers engrossed in a demonstration of electrical power distribution.

These activities, plus others focused on different types of sustainable technology, are part of a new type of career fair for local high schoolers—the result of months of planning by Slipstream and its partners, based on a shared goal of getting students involved in the clean energy future.

The clean energy industry is experiencing rapid growth, with a forecasted annual growth rate of 17.2% between now and 2030. With this increase, we'll need a lot of new, enthusiastic workers. Meaning it's essential to pique the younger generation's interest now in clean energy-related fields. For today's high school students, pursuing these types of careers might not only promise job opportunities but also the potential to contribute to a more sustainable future.

Tents set up at Osseo-Fairchild High School for the Clean Energy Career Fair

Laying the groundwork

Slipstream's close relationship with Wisconsin's K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP) was a key factor in the success of this event. Specifically, in 2020 and 2021, Slipstream worked closely with KEEP to create a series of virtual learning videos going over the benefits of clean and sustainable energy careers. Ultimately, over 50,000 students watched these videos, letting Slipstream and KEEP know there was a marked interest that could be nurtured.

While they were brainstorming how they could continue to influence high school students, Xcel Energy also found themselves in a situation where they wanted to reach out to the younger generation about clean energy technology. Xcel was inspired by another ad hoc schoolroom: the Mobile Learning Lab run by Wisconsin Energy Workforce Consortium (WEWC).

A demonstration of natural gas distribution by the Mobile Learning Lab at the Clean Energy Career Fair

What is the Mobile Learning Lab?

WEWC's Mobile Learning Lab offers more than just visual displays of electric and gas distribution, it provides students with hands-on examples of how each one works, with fully interactive displays. This unique experience interested Xcel Energy, but the Mobile Learning Lab has an educational mandate—it can't just pack up and go anywhere. An investor-owned utility would need a specific reason to take advantage.

As a longtime partner of Slipstream, Xcel Energy reached out—at the exact right time—to ask for ideas. After a few rounds of discussions, they landed on the idea of putting together a full career day event for high schoolers. The fair still needed a location, but through connections with KEEP, Osseo-Fairchild High School expressed interest in hosting the event and the plan could be set in motion.

Bringing the event to the students

You might think of a career fair as targeted towards college students or working adults, and set up in sterile event centers with booths, sign-up sheets, and fliers. This one, however, was a decidedly more lively affair with interactive experiences for high school-aged students designed specifically to build interest in clean energy careers.

To learn about each one, students could choose among eight different stations, each with a different focus and sponsor. One station gave students a close look at different types of electric vehicles (sadly, the students couldn't drive them—even if they had their learner's permit), while the station hosted by KidWind, a nonprofit dedicated to helping educators and students explore renewable energy, let students build their own wind turbines.

Each station also included a career sheet, so if someone found they really enjoyed working with Sketchbox in the computer lab, they could see what pathway they'd need to take to pursue energy modeling and analysis as a career. If other students felt they'd be happier in a bucket truck than in front of a computer, the career sheets were there to guide them on the right career path.

Students testing robotics under the supervision of Whitehall Robotics

All in all, over 200 students from 17 Wisconsin public schools spent the day interacting with and learning from each of the different stations. WQOW reported on the success of this first clean energy career fair and even talked to some of the students who were there. As student Lydia Popple told WQOW, "This is our future and as the people who are going to be building our future, I think we need to be the ones that are involved right at the start."

What happens next?

Inventive and interactive experiences like this are a key step towards the goal of inspiring the next generation. By making it easier for students to be aware of and experiment with the latest technology, you can build enthusiasm and interest in clean and sustainable energy sources.

Planning has already started for a second career fair in the same area and two additional ones in La Crosse and Green Bay—and there's always room for more if this sounds like something you'd like to see in your school district. Contact us to get the ball rolling!