Nearly 2k attend “Level Up” open houses

Rosalia Stacey gets help from Jenny Sheppy at a brick laying demonstration.

A skilled trades open house that came to the region drew students and others from around Windsor-Essex County, including Amherstburg.

Skilled Trades Ontario reports nearly thousands of students, parents and job seekers visited a “Level Up! Windsor” job and career fair. Well over 2,000 were students with an additional 500 coming to an evening open house.

The regional “Level Up!” was at the Event Centre at LaSalle Landing with more than 30 interactive exhibits run by skilled trades professionals, providing hands-on exploration of some of Ontario’s 144 recognized skilled trades.

Brandon Crandall, supervisor of stakeholder relations and outreach with Skilled Trades Ontario, said they wanted to get students in to see what careers are out there for them.

“We’re trying to fuel the pipeline for the next generation,” said Crandall.

Crandall added there were both local exhibitors and provincial exhibitors present. It is the fourth year it is being done in partnership with the province.

The Windsor Level Up! Skilled Trades Career Fair was one of 12 across the province. These multi-day events offer students in Grades 7-12, as well as parents and young jobseekers, the chance to explore careers in the skilled trades.

“Building a strong and resilient workforce starts with giving young people real exposure to skilled trades. The Level Up!  career fairs make that possible by connecting students and job seekers directly with tradespeople and employers,” says Skilled Trades Ontario Chief Executive Officer Candice White in a press release. 

Rosalia Stacey and Jenny Sheppy came in from Chatham to attended the event. 

“I think it’s great to get hands-on experience,” said Sheppy.

Noah Latella came with his father Francesco from Windsor. Francesco said they came to “Level Up” to see what it was all about and to show Noah what careers are out there. 

Harmony Strasler and her big sister Jodie Christian came to the event with Strasler interested in a possible skilled trades career. The idea was to find a different pathway into a career from high school. Strasler, a North Star High School student, believed the open house was helpful.

“I’m getting a lot of ideas of what I want to do,” she said.

Nearly 2k attend “Level Up” open houses

By Ron Giofu