On Saturday, Feb. 26, the first of three Apprenticeship and Career Pathways Showcases will take place at Eureka High School where students will be able to speak with representatives from different companies and schools about their futures in education and careers.

Emanuel Young, Partners In Education coordinator, said the other two showcases will take place the following Saturdays on March 6 at North Tech High School and March 12 at South Tech High School. The event goes from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and participants can stay as long or as short as they would like as it is mostly self-led.

The showcase is similar to a career fair, where students can learn more about the opportunities that are available in St. Louis, Young said.

“Students keep getting asked this question, ‘what are you going to do when you graduate high school?’” Young said, “What we want to do in Rockwood is we want to make sure every kid has an answer to that question.”

Young said college representatives are coming to the event to give students information about their schools. 

There will be nearly 50 companies at this event, including advanced manufacturing, healthcare, geospatial, information technology, public safety, law enforcement, and more… 

“The companies that we have coming are looking for young talent to fill their talent pipeline, so they are specifically seeking recent grads and high school students,” Young said.

Each company has a table with representatives, interactive exhibits, and hands-on activities, Young said.

The event is intended for students in grades 6-12. 

“But does that mean that younger students can’t come? No, of course, they can! It’s for families,” Young said.  

South Technical High School will be at the event for younger students who are interested in their program, he said.

Young said this showcase is especially important because in the last two years, due to COVID, middle school students have not been able to take their normal field trip to visit South Technical High School. 

“Information is power, and the more information you have, the better-informed decision you can make,” Young said.

Haley Myers, Class of 2019, attended South Tech and now studies in a Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program, a medical field that deals with ultrasounds.

Myers said South Tech was one major factor that pushed her to pursue her career interests in the Sonography Program.

“I knew I wanted to go into something medical, but I didn’t know what it was yet, so I really discovered that,” Myers said.

Myers said that with South Tech, she went on many field trips to talk to people in the medical field which was very helpful to her career and decision making.

She said the upcoming showcase would be a good opportunity for students to ask questions to knowledgeable and experienced people in their respective fields.

“They know it a whole lot better than just looking stuff up on the internet,” Myers said.