St. Joseph Landing hosts World of Work event for teens
Over 400 high school students from nine West Virginia counties attended to learn about different trades and career paths.
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - The Workforce Development Board of the Mid-Ohio Valley partnered with Parkersburg Marietta Building Trades to host a World of Work Trades Event at Saint Joseph Landing on Tuesday.
Over 400 high school students from nine West Virginia counties attended to learn about different trades and career paths.
Executive Director of the Workforce Development Board Bill Monterosso said a diverse array of trades were represented at the event.
“From electricians, carpenters, laborers, millwrights, steam fitters, masonry, they had drones, they had hands on experiences,” Monterosso said.
Monterosso said exposing young people to the wide array of career opportunities available can be eye opening.
“The youth can explore any occupation from culinary all the way up to healthcare, and all the trades in between, so they can get a first hand look,” he said. “So they can actually choose their path, as opposed to settling for their path.”
Eric King was at the event representing the West Virginia Laborers’ Union. King said exposing young people to the positive possibilities of a career in a unionized trade had a lot of value.
“Any of these union trades, there is retirement, benefits, early retirement even, King said. “But, there’s a lot of aspects that can keep them wealthy throughout their entire lives through the union trades as well.”
King said he thinks it’s important for people preparing to graduate high school understand the many different options they have.
“College has been a thing that’s been pushed for many, many years, and people don’t understand that there are so many different avenues they can take and gain careers, lifetime careers,” he said.
In addition to demonstrating various different trades, the event also gave students the chance to learn about specific apprenticeships.
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