Held at the Wagga Showgrounds between 9am and 1pm, students engaged with interactive displays, course options and recruitment advice from major universities across the state, including TAFE NSW, Charles Sturt University and the defence force.  

Wagga High School’s career advisor, Annie Fellows, said the school has attended this event for the past four years and gives students an opportunity to look at their options available when they leave school.  

“They get to look at all their options in one spot and that’s the beauty of today, everybody comes to one spot and students get access to all of it,” Mrs Annie Fellows said. 

“For students who are tossing up between their career ideas it gives them confirmation and any last minute questions if they're in year 12, or if they’re in year 10 it’s something that they can look at for the next two years.” 

TAFE NSW offered students a range of interactive activities and gadgets on display, including a virtual welding machine, a tyre-changing competition, a shearing demonstration, a beauty station, blood pressure checks and a rowing machine contest. 

TAFE Riverina’s services manager, Nathon Irvin said these activities give students a taste of the various courses available on campus. 

“I think from TAFE’s perspective, we’re really trying to make it interactive and to get a good idea of the practical side we offer,” Mr Irvin said. 

“It’s really an opportunity for them to touch and feel all the equipment, get the hands-on side of it, it’s not all theory and that’s the benefit of what TAFE can offer, a real practical experience which makes people job-ready.”

The Wagga Careers Expo does not just benefit students, but also the range of exhibitors that attend and show off their courses in the hopes of luring future students to enroll. 

For TAFE NSW, Mr Irvin said it’s a “huge draw card” as there aren’t many other opportunities for students to engage with the options on campus. 

The state government announced recently they will fund 100,000 apprenticeships to meet demand in trade industry jobs. 

“For these young people, there’s so much opportunity in the trades sector and the chances of getting a job in this industry is extremely high,” Mr Irvin said. 

Leaving school is daunting for students, especially those who aren’t sure what career they want to pursue. 

Abbey Fellows, now into her third gap year, has spent the last few years travelling incorporating volunteer and overseas work. 

During her travels she has had the time to figure out her career plans and hoped to show students other options available outside of further study.

“A lot of them worry that they can’t travel because of money and how hard it is to save at school, so I’m hoping to give them an insight into how possible it is,” she said.