A student organized career fair at North Star High School Tuesday morning featured 38 trade partners from various industries. Amanda Woodward is a shop teacher and tells KLIN News ‘Rock the Trades’ is a career fair focused on skilled trades and hands-on career pathways, like construction, manufacturing and trade school options.
It’s designed to give high school students exposure to employers and post-graduation opportunities where they can get to work fast after finishing school rather than pursuing a traditional four-year college path.
Some of this year’s trade partners included Kawasaki, TMCO, Garmin and several local trade unions. Those employers presented information about on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and company-paid training. Woodward says students in the SkillsUSA chapter at Lincoln North Star did all of the work in organizing the event. SkillsUSA is a partnership between teachers, industry professionals and students to make sure America has a skilled workforce.
“And they communicated with over 50 different industry professionals and organizations,” Woodward says. “Some of these kids have an idea and maybe today we’re doing the handshake, sealing the deal on what they’re going to be when they grow up.”
Student organizer Natalie Archer is a senior and wants to explore a career with Duncan Aviation. She is also the one who sent all the emails to the more than three dozen trader partners. “I hope most students either a walk away with a sense of what they want to do, or at least a job interview, internship or apprenticeship, or maybe just a number from a contact.”
