RESTC's WTrades Career Fair for High School Students

River East School to Career, River East, will present WTrades, Your Present is Your Future, a skilled trades career exploration day for the Win. The event will occur on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, 9:00 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA.

Students in grades 9 – 12th from various school districts in the greater Springfield and greater Palmer
areas are invited to attend.

This program aims to showcase strategic, exploratory resources and hands-on opportunities to about 200
student attendees to enrich their knowledge about prospects for future employment and how to achieve a
skilled trades career, if interested.

River East is seeking skilled trade exhibitors, including those with equipment, to participate in the
WTrades career fair. Exhibitors will have the unique opportunity to speak directly with students, sharing
insights about their careers and the skills required to succeed in their industries.

By attending WTrades, students will connect directly with industry professionals, learn about job
opportunities, and gain insights into training programs that can lead to fulfilling careers.
The skilled trades industry offers a broad range of career opportunities, from construction, mechanical,
and industrial to healthcare, technical, and advanced manufacturing trades. However, many students are
unaware of these possibilities or the training and/or educational paths available, such as apprenticeships,
community colleges, technical institutes, vocational programs, and online training.

In addition, skilled professional workers are in demand. According to an article at Axios.com on March
18, 2023, “Older workers in the skilled trades are retiring and not enough young people are training up
to take their jobs as construction workers, plumbers, electricians and beyond.”

About River East: River East School-to-Career, Inc., a business and education partnership, was incorporated as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in February 2004. The River East School-to-Career Partnership is governed by a twenty member Board of Directors with representatives from member school districts, postsecondary institutions, and the business community. Member school districts include Hampden-Wilbraham, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Monson, Palmer, Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School, Quaboag Regional, and Tantasqua Regional.