The 26th Annual Metro Construction Career Expo will be held Oct. 19-22 at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds, 200 South Belt East, Belleville.

Organizers expect a record turnout of roughly 1,000 students from 31 area high schools for hands-on activities and demonstrations highlighting careers in the skilled construction trades, according to the Southern Illinois Builders Association.

The association says apprenticeship programs offer paid, debt-free pathways into the construction industry, including wages, benefits and a pension, as an alternative to traditional college routes.

"We are thrilled to see once again record participation this year," said Donna Richter, CEO of the Southern Illinois Builders Association. "The Metro Construction Career Expo continues to open students' eyes to meaningful, high-paying careers that don't require taking on college debt. The hands-on experience students gain here often sparks lifelong careers in the trades."

Participating trade unions and exhibits

The expo will feature hands-on demonstrations and exhibits representing the following trade unions: Carpenters, Electricians, Cement Masons & Plasterers, Sheet Metal Workers, Boilermakers, Painters, Ironworkers, Laborers, Bricklayers, Plumbers/Pipefitters/Gasfitters, and Steamfitters.

The Leadership Council of Southwestern Illinois will host a booth featuring virtual reality construction simulations. Visitors can weld steel beams, demolish overpasses, rebuild roofs, install solar panels and more. The association says more than 50 realistic simulations, each three to five minutes long, let students experience trades such as steelworker, construction laborer, carpenter and solar technician.

Open house

An open house will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, and is open to anyone interested in a career in construction.

Participating schools by day

  • Monday, Oct. 19: The CAVE in Belleville, Collinsville Area Vocational Center
  • Tuesday, Oct. 20: Highland, Triad, Granite City, Bunker Hill, Columbia, Gillespie, Central, New Athens, Staunton
  • Wednesday, Oct. 21: Edwardsville, Wesclin, Freeburg, Civic Memorial, Southwestern, Marissa, Waterloo, Carlyle, Mascoutah
  • Thursday, Oct. 22: Roxana, East Alton-Wood River, Alton, Coulterville, Dupo, Lake School, O'Fallon, Calhoun, CCSI, Red Bud, Belleville East

Now in its 26th year, the expo has grown into one of the region's premier workforce development events, the association says, introducing thousands of students to debt-free career paths in the skilled trades.

For more information about apprenticeship programs and opportunities in the construction industry, visit SIBA-AGC.org.

Source: the original release