The St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenters hosted the 3rd Annual St. Charles Construction Career Expo on February 28. More than 500 students from local high schools attended.
Area juniors and seniors had the opportunity to meet with 13 local building trade unions and associations to learn about apprenticeship programs. Each vendor had interactive equipment to better show students the many craft opportunities in the construction field, as well as information on how to become an apprentice.
"These are kids who like working with their hands," said Kevin Willing, a building trades instructor at Hannibal Technical and Career Center. "We brought about 30 of our students and I keep telling them, ‘If you’re skilled, you can find a really good job pretty easily these days. It’s something to think about.’"
Participating trades include: Bricklayers Local 1, Carpenters Joint Training Fund, Carpenters Regional Council, Cement Masons Local 527, Home Builders Association of St. Louis, Laborers District Council, Operating Engineers Local 513, Painters, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562, Sheet Metal Workers Local 36, Tilesetters Union, Heat and Frost Insulators Local 1, and Roofers Local 2. Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri and the Associated General Contractors will also be on hand.