BEDFORD – The Stonegate Arts and Education Center on the Square in Bedford hosted a Skilled Trades show last Friday in several shifts.
The first two sessions, 9 a.m. until 11 a.m., and 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. were specifically designated for students in grades 11 and 12.
Due to rain, the event was hybrid, taking place both outside and inside the Stonegate Center. Booths like McIntyre Bros., HFI Mechanical, Boilermakers Union, Mechanical Insulation, Taylor Bros. Construction, and many more presented skilled trade options for students to consider as potential careers.
Skilled Trades are often overlooked or forgotten, according to Ronnie Harrell, a Tradeschool Instructor for Bloomington and Evansville.
According to Harrell, the students who come through are often bashful or don’t really know what questions to ask. But, he said, “I find the ones that are interested will seek you out.”
Harrell formerly worked at HFI Mechanical and is currently a part of the Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union 136.
The Trade show offered an opportunity for students and the public alike to see what other career and employment options are out there – necessary, integral duties that are a solid support in the foundation of society.
Students could see first-hand certain skills, and talk to those who are in or were in those trades to learn more.
The show saw 280 students by the end of the first session alone. Altogether it was an informative and educational showcase of trade skills careers that are available for our future generation.
