Owsley County students practice job skills at reverse fair

Owsley County High School seniors spent part of their day telling employers what they could do, not waiting to be asked. At a reverse job fair April 12, students shared their vision and goals with representatives from several employment sectors while practicing how to speak clearly about their strengths, interests and future plans.

The school district said the setup gave students a low-pressure chance to sharpen communication skills and get advice directly from adults working in fields they may want to enter. That matters in a county where a single school event can create one of the few chances for young people to meet face to face with people from multiple industries at once. It also gave local employers an early look at homegrown talent, along with a sense of how students are presenting themselves before they leave Owsley County High School.

OCHS has used the reverse fair format before as part of its career-readiness work, including events for its Transition and Senior Leadership classes. In one invitation to employers, the school asked businesses to come to a reverse job fair April 25 from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., when senior students would display their skills and talents. Another post said seniors did a good job explaining their personal skills, education and career plans to local employers.

The school’s special education transition program adds another layer to that effort. Owsley County Schools say they are partnering with the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program and Middle Kentucky Community Action Agency to help special-needs high school students move into work or postsecondary education after graduation. That links the fair to a broader workforce pipeline, not just a one-day classroom exercise.

The economic backdrop helps explain why those connections matter. Owsley County had 4,051 residents in the 2020 Census, a median household income of $22,188 and an employment rate of 34.3% in U.S. Census Bureau estimates. The county also had just 42 employer establishments, a reminder that job options remain limited in a small rural labor market. Kentucky county unemployment rates rose in 2024, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics, which tracks county-level estimates through its Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. For Owsley County students, learning to tell their story clearly may be as important as the résumé they bring with them.