St. Louis Community College is partnered with several community organizations to sponsor North County Opportunities Expo: Trades, Training and Apprenticeships. The Expo took place 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, at the Training Center on the Florissant Valley campus, 3400 Pershall Road in Ferguson.
The Office of Community Engagement, along with a group of public and private organizations, invited those interested in seeking a career to the North County Opportunities Expo: Trades, Training and Apprenticeships. At the expo, the participants accessed a variety of workshops and resources aimed at teaching what is required to complete an apprenticeship, how union jobs are filled and what job duties are like. They also explored training opportunities in union trades, advanced manufacturing and highly technical skilled utilities. The career seeking participants connected with resources that could help them overcome career roadblocks so that they would be able to start training or an apprenticeship and be on their way to a high-paying career in the trades. Workers in these fields earn valuable skills that cannot be taken away and are always in demand. Being a part of the workforce that builds! (Source: Department of Economic Development)
Careers in Construction: www.prideconstruction.org
Former State Senator Maida Coleman serves as the director of the Office of Community Engagement. A native of Sikeston, Coleman most recently served as the executive director of the Missouri Workforce Investment Board at the Department of Economic Development, and was previously in a leadership role at the Missouri Department of Labor. From 2001 to 2009, Coleman served as a state representative and state senator from St. Louis, and became the first African American woman in state history to serve as Senate Minority Leader. She previously held management level positions at the office of the Missouri Secretary of State and the St. Louis Housing Authority. She has a B.A. in Journalism from Lincoln University in Jefferson City and was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from Harris-Stowe State University in 2008. Director Coleman has participated in leadership programs designed exclusively for legislative leaders, including the State Legislative Leaders Program in conjunction with the University of Virginia Darden Graduate School of Business and the Henry Toll Fellowship Program.