Occupational Olympics coming up at Turlock fairgrounds

The 30th annual Occupational Olympics and Career Exposition will take over the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in Turlock on March 25.

Some 750 Stanislaus County high school students will show their skills from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by an awards ceremony. The Video Game Design portion of the event will be at Valley Charter High School, 108 Campus Way, Modesto.

Students will be rated on knowledge of their field of interest, ability to perform tasks using appropriate tools, and employability skills. Plaques are awarded to the top three participants in each event, and the top eight finalists receive ribbons. One small and one large school will receive a Sweepstakes Award.

Representatives from local business and industry will judge students in 22 competitive events, including agricultural engineering, automotive technology, criminal justice, fashion design, firefighter candidate, job-seeking skills, marketing mathematics, robotics, retail selling and welding.

Designed to promote academic and occupational understanding in various career areas, and recognize high school students who excel in their mastery of skills, the event is sponsored by Save Mart Cares, the Stanislaus County Office of Education, Stanislaus Partners in Education, Stanislaus County Fair, Modesto Junior College, local businesses and school districts.

This story was originally published March 15, 2015 at 8:08 PM with the headline "Occupational Olympics coming up at Turlock fairgrounds."