By Eva Mandelbaum
On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, White Plains High School will be hosting a Trade and Vocation Fair during all lunch periods (between 10:45 AM and 1 PM) in the media center. The fair will be open to all 9-12th graders, but guidance counselor Mr. Hirsch explained, “This year we’re going to seek out specific kids who we think might benefit from it, [and] we’re going to seek out classrooms that might have students who would benefit from the offerings.” Vendors will include Finishing Trades Institute of New York, Electrical Union IBEW 3, Culinary Tech Center, NY School of Esthetics, City of White Plains Department of Public Works, City of White Plains Fire and Police Departments, and many more.
“The reason why we’re doing it is I think it’s important for students to have varied opportunities for post-secondary success,” Mr. Hirsch explained. “Some students may not want to go the traditional college path, so we’re just trying to showcase all the offerings they can do after high school.”
According to the National Student Clearinghouse, mechanic and repair trade programs saw an enrollment increase of 11.5 percent from spring 2021 to 2022, and enrollment in construction trades courses increased by 19.3 percent, while culinary program enrollment increased 12.7 percent. Despite this recent rise of trades and vocations, many students still feel like college is their only option, so this fair will reject this narrative.
While this is just the second year of the event, Mr. Hirsch is confident it will be helpful for students. “I think our job as counselors and educators here in the building is to support students and I think it’s important for us to recognize that not all students [want to go to college] so we need to give them more opportunities to reach their goals,” he said. “There’s a lot of trades and vocations out there that have great benefits, pay well, all those things, and we’re happy to bring those people here to our school community...it’ll be great. I’m looking forward to it.”