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On Wednesday, December 11th, Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI) hosted its second annual Trade Up! Fair highlighting different trade-related companies and organizations.

The night kicked off with presentations from SEI’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, Anthony Deloney, who shared why it is important for our youth to explore their options and truly evaluate their passions as they find their careers. Focusing on construction and manufacturing specific trades, he introduced the following speakers:

Damon Hickok - Representative from Portland Community College who spoke about courses and apprenticeships through PCC with a focus on maritime welding.
Kennitha Lomax - Representative from International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, imparted information about skilled trade jobs as (very) well-paying jobs .
Joel Andersen - The President of Andersen Construction spoke about the visibility of trades and the impact of hands-on work as something visible (i.e. being able to see the building you built or the lights that you installed).

SEI’s Director of Stability and Empowerment, Stephanie Peters, concluded the presentation to discuss scholarship and apprenticeship program opportunities also offered through the workforce branch of SEI’s Community and Family Programs (CFP).

Youth from Jefferson, David Douglas, Parkrose and Reynolds High Schools attended the fair and engaged in speaker presentations. Trade Up! offered raffle prizes (sponsored by Andersen Construction) and will be working with Andersen and Hoffman Construction to introduce the first SEI Trades Scholarship later this school year.

Massive shout out to our partners!

Trade Up! Fair Recap