Record attendance expected at 25th annual Metro Construction Career Expo Oct. 21–23

By Managing Editor | October 16, 2025 |

More than 1,200 students from 37 schools to explore “Earn While You Learn” apprenticeships as debt-free alternatives to college

The 25th annual Metro Construction Career Expo will be held Oct. 21–23, 2025, at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds, 200 South Belt East, Belleville, Ill.

This year’s event will welcome a record number of students, more than 1,200 from 37 area high schools, to explore hands-on activities and demonstrations that highlight rewarding career opportunities in the skilled construction trades.

Apprenticeship programs offer paid, debt-free pathways into the construction industry, complete with wages, benefits, and pension, providing a strong alternative to traditional college routes.

“We are thrilled to see record participation this year,” said Donna Richter, CEO of the Southern Illinois Builders Association (SIBA). “The Metro Construction Career Expo continues to open students’ eyes to meaningful, high-paying careers that don’t require taking on college debt. The hands-on experience students gain here often sparks lifelong careers in the trades.”

Participating trades and exhibits

The Expo will feature hands-on demonstrations and exhibits representing: Carpenters, electricians, cement masons and plasterers, sheet metal workers, boilermakers, painters, ironworkers, laborers, bricklayers, plumbers/pipefitters/gasfitters and steamfitters.

The Leadership Council of Southwestern Illinois will also host a booth featuring virtual reality construction simulations: Weld steel beams, demolish overpasses, rebuild roofs, install solar panels, and more in just minutes. Experience what it’s like to be a steelworker, construction laborer, carpenter, solar technician, and many others through 50-plus realistic 3- to 5-minute simulations that bring the trades to life.

Metro Construction Career Expo – Participating schools

Tuesday, Oct. 21

Calhoun, O’Fallon, Highland, Triad, Coulterville, Alton, Belleville East, Belleville West, Mt. Olive, Marissa, CCSI, East St. Louis, Brownstown

Wednesday, Oct. 22

Edwardsville, Wesclin, New Athens, Freeburg, Civic Memorial, Lebanon, Staunton, Columbia, Dupo, Southwestern, Bunker Hill, Cahokia, Okawville
Open House, 5 to 7 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 23

Granite City, Waterloo, Roxana, East Alton-Wood River, Gillespie, Patoka, Chester, Greenville, Mascoutah, The CAVE, Carlyle

Celebrating 25 years of opportunity

Now in its 25th year, the Metro Construction Career Expo has grown into one of the region’s premier workforce development events. Since its inception, the Expo has introduced thousands of students to viable, debt-free career paths in the skilled trades—many of whom have gone on to successful, long-term careers in construction. The continued growth of the event reflects the collaboration between schools, trade unions, and industry partners dedicated to building a stronger workforce for southern Illinois. For more information about apprenticeship programs and opportunities in the construction industry, visit www.SIBA-AGC.org.

About Southern Illinois Builders Association (SIBA): The purpose of the Southern Illinois Builders Association is to advance the construction industry through strengthening our members by enabling them to do collectively what they cannot accomplish on their own. We offer a full range of services and programs to provide value to our members as “the voice of the construction industry in Southern Illinois.”