Middle and high school students from around the region came to Taylor Wednesday to learn about career opportunities.
Some were looking for a career they could start immediately after high school graduation. Others brought resumes and participated in mock interviews or applied for real jobs. Students interested in attending college explored tuition-assistance or scholarship options for engineering jobs.
More than 20 industries and large employers participated in the 5th Taylor Trades Days Career Fair at the Williamson County Expo Center, organized by the Taylor Chamber of Commerce.
“Our goal is to really get kids ready for the workplace and let them know what’s out there,” said Tia Stone, Chamber president. “This fair is about trades and technical information jobs.
Some of the companies can help you get your education to get into this lucrative field without any debt. We’re trying to make that connection between high demand, low entry requirement careers and how kids get access to them.”
Dylan Stowe, a freshman from Rogers High School in Temple, wasn’t sure what he was looking for when he came.
“I’m here to look around and see what options there might be for the future,” he said.
“I like the VR (virtual reality) stuff. I went to the engineering one and I kind of like that so maybe something with engineering.”
Taylor High School students Ezekiel Tellez and Fletcher Adams came not to explore opportunities but to talk about the career path they are already on. They are the first students enrolled in a new plumbing pathway course offered by Taylor High School and taught by Sam Dowdy, owner of S&D Plumbing.
“I joined this class because I see a career in this field and I really enjoy it,” said Tellez.
Before, I didn’t have any career plans actually.
I would definitely tell other people to do this.
It’s a fun trade.”
Earning a Tradesman plumber license takes 4000 hours of training, but that can be achieved within as little as three years, and once licensed, the earning potential jumps to $100,000 and more, according to S&D Plumbing marketing director Brad Lawson.
Meanwhile the student works as a paid apprentice.
Another industry that offers high school graduates the option to earn while they learn is electrical work.
“We are a four-year apprenticeship program,” said Alfredo Alaniz on behalf of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
“They work during the day to get their 40 hours a week in and then they come to school once a week at night.”
The ability to earn a good living, even for students who don’t have the means to attend college is crucial, said Jennifer Plant, a middle school math teacher in Coupland. Plant accompanied a group of 8th grade students to the event.
“We are just amazed at the opportunities this program is giving our students to see the possibilities they can have,” Plant said.
“Whether it be going to a trade school, whether it be going to a college, whether it be going to an internship, there are ways to achieve their dreams.”
To read more about great careers that don’t require college debt, see the online story at www. TaylorPress.net.
