Kellie Meyer, a career counselor for the Minot Public Schools, said the career fair had traditionally been held at Central Campus. Last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers tried to make the career fair virtual only. But this year they decided to expand it and move it out to the State Fair Center.

More than a dozen area schools brought their students to the career fair in the morning and the event was opened up to adult job seekers in the afternoon.

“We wanted to make it more hands on and interactive for our students so we moved it down here so that companies and educational institutions are able to bring in their equipment, their tools, all of the things they use on a daily basis for students to actually see and try and do,” said Meyer.

A group of Central Campus freshmen had gathered around a display at the Enbridge booth to see how the pipeline functions.

Andrea Johnson/MDN Students look at an exhibit at Mowbray and Son Mechanical Contracting during the Minot Area Career Expo on Wednesday.

Wendy Pank of Enbridge said the company employs people with a variety of skill sets and educational backgrounds from welders to electricians to engineers. Many of the jobs currently available are out of state. Pank said people who are employed by Enbridge tend to stay employed there.

Minot State University, Dakota College at Bottineau and Bismarck State College all had booths and showcased a variety of careers. Also with a presence were employers in the area in different fields ranging from health care to apprenticeships to different trade occupations. North Dakota Job Service was also on hand.

Adam Kidwell, representing the Dakotas Area Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, said more people should consider training to become an electrician.

Trainees range from 17 to 67, he said, and it is a good, steady job with free training and a a starting salary for an electrician of around $35,000 per year. Electricians are in demand on construction projects like the new Trinity Hospital is under construction in Minot.

Without electricians, a building like the State Fair Center would be nothing but a really nice cave, Kidwell said.

The majority of electricians are still men but women can also have good careers in the trades.

“There exists that idea that the trades are just for men,” said Kidwell. “That’s not the case.”

Avflight at the Minot Airport, provides a variety of services for private and corporate aircraft. The international company has 24 locations. Dave Parks, the general manager in Minot, said the business is kind of like a C-store for airplanes. The company has a variety of divisions and career paths available, with a competitive salary and benefits package and opportunities for advancement. Like other businesses in the area, he said hiring has been something of a challenge.

“We’re basically showcasing what our area has to offer, which is the coolest part about it,” said Meyer, who said there are definitely a lot of job openings at the moment.

Kids she has talked to are interested in the trades but also in health care careers like nursing and in going into education.

Meyer said the Career Expo wants to emphasize for students that there are multiple paths to a career, including apprenticeships, trade schools, or two- or four-year colleges.

“All are going to lead to high paying careers,” said Meyer.