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Mount Druitt’s Try a Trade expo has returned, although unlike any year before. Over 1700 students from Parramatta and the Blue Mountains have confirmed their registration. The plan: to reach out to 3000 students, 1800 more than last year.

Established in 2005 in response to the country’s overwhelming shortage of skilled workers, the Try a Trade expo, a hands- on, interactive experience, provides students with the opportunity to meet and greet professional trade representatives from a variety of skill careers.

‘‘We give kids a hands-on experience so that they can make informed decisions about their futures,” St. Clair High School careers advisor, Robyn Elks said in an interview for Star. “We find those who don’t have a real idea of what they want to do are the ones who are most open to everything.”

And it’s not just the career talk that takes place; True to its name, students are in fact given the ability to try the trade. At the carpentry booth, for example, students make a corkboard, while the hairdressing station puts students to work, shaving beards and colouring and styling hair.

With reports revealing the high demand for builders, engineers and tradespersons, the Try a Trade program permits students a peek into skill education and training, motivating students to consider a variety of options if university is not a part of their plan. “I just don’t want to be in an office all my life. I’d rather be outside getting my hands dirty,” 15- year- old, Daniel Brinkworth said in an ABC interview.

The expo, which has partnered with apprenticepower, Nepean Careers Forum, TAFE NSW, Bunnings Warehouse Minchinbury and Australian Defence Force Trades, is set for June 27- 28 at the Kevin Betts Stadium.

The expo is free and runs from 9am to 3pm on both days. Students who want to attend and haven’t registered should speak to their careers adviser.