Up to 500 Year 5 students from 15 schools in the Gympie region will gain hands-on exposure to a variety of interesting careers at a "Smart Steps: Jobs to Go" expo on Wednesday 22 July.

The event will be held at the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Gympie campus and TAFE East Coast from 9.15am to 2.15pm.

Students will meet with more than a dozen exhibitors from USC, TAFE and local businesses and experience some of the duties performed by people working in fields including nursing, agriculture, ecology, hair and beauty, journalism, hospitality, computer-based design, education and engineering.

USC Gympie Manager Graham Young said the event, now in its third year at Gympie, was designed to encourage primary school pupils to want to complete Year 12 and aspire to tertiary studies.

"The aim is to raise career aspirations of the students, as research shows this is an appropriate age to begin addressing issues of what a job is, what kinds of jobs are available and why they should want one," Mr Young said.

He said the event exposed students to a wide range of career opportunities, showed the qualifications these roles require, and demonstrated what it would feel like to work in these jobs.

"Smart Steps is a really practical program in which students can enjoy demonstrations of diverse jobs and participate in hands-on activities," he said.

The ‘Smart Steps: Jobs to Go’ initiative was made possible through funding from the Federal Government’s Higher Education Partnership Program.

— Terry Walsh