At the 2023 Skilled Trades Career Fair last week, thousands of students examined opportunities in architecture, STEM, engineering, construction trades, and allied fields.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Pedro Martinez, CEO of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), opened the three-day in-person Skilled Trades Career Fair, which was held at McCormick Place on March 1-3.
The purpose of the fair was to provide CPS students with a firsthand understanding of postsecondary skilled trades opportunities. Approximately 3,000 middle and high school students from CPS participated and met with hundreds of field experts throughout the fair, according to a city of Chicago news release.
"CPS, City Colleges of Chicago and our countless educational and youth enrichment partners are working around the clock to nurture our young people and empower their families," Lightfoot said. "By working together to provide a diverse array of programs and activities, I know we will continue to give students access to the tools they need to achieve success both within and outside of the classroom."
The event aimed to link young adults, between the ages of 16 and 24, with government agencies, community-based organizations and businesses that provide job, training, and internship possibilities.
The school district says its objective is to equip every student with the necessary tools to achieve success in life. Currently, CPS offers over 50 vocational and technical education (CTE) courses at more than 80 high schools throughout the city.
These courses include 12 construction trades programs, five carpentry programs, three electrician programs, three welding programs and one HVAC program, according to the city news release.
“Exposing our students to opportunities in the skilled trades is just as important as preparing them for college," Martinez said. "Events like the Skilled Trades Career Fair show that students can take advantage of great opportunities right here in their own back yard. We want every child in every neighborhood to dream about career possibilities and use the resources available to achieve those dreams and build fulfilling and meaningful lives.”
Through the Chicago Roadmap initiative, CPS has established a collaboration with City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) to help students achieve their desired careers by providing a pathway to post-secondary training.
This collaboration between CCC and CPS aims to close achievement disparities and promote cross-system communication in order to better prepare kids for success in high school and after graduation, according to the city release.