"Hands-on" experience was offered hundreds of Wanganui secondary school students at a trades expo in the War Memorial Hall last Friday.
Wanganui Chamber of Commerce trades facilitator Susan Crawshaw said the expo attracted 660 Year 10 and 11 students from city schools including Wanganui City College, Wharekura O Tupoho, Cullinane College,
Wanganui Girls' College and Wanganui High School.
Ms Crawshaw said the expo allowed students to check out career options and see where a future in the trades could take them.
"The aim of the day was to broaden students' horizons by being exposed to as many job/career options as possible in preparation for designing their own career and mapping out pathways for their future," she said.
Students were able to try something hands on, talk to apprentices and tradespeople and get information from training organisations on career pathways. She said the students were also able to complete a survey identifying what career pathway could be of interest to them.
"This will lead into the November Industry Days, where students will have an opportunity to explore the career of their interest by spending a day in the industry."
There were 25 trades involved in the expo which involved Wanganui Chamber of Commerce, Careers NZ, schools, local industry, Work and Income New Zealand, training providers and UCOL Wanganui.
