Ayres Associates welcomed 110 guests to its 14th hands-on Career Expo program on February 23 in Eau Claire, including area students in grades eight through 12 and their parents and teachers. Career Expo, held at our headquarters, allowed students to connect with engineers, architects, and other professionals as they consider the prospects for careers in architecture, engineering, environmental science, landscape architecture, surveying, and related technical careers, where demand for qualified graduates is high.

Part of National Engineers Week, the event gave students the opportunity to participate in bridge- and boat-building competitions, followed by an overview on technical professions and a tour of several career stations throughout the building, where engineers, architects, scientists, landscape architects, surveyors, and technicians demonstrated and discussed their work.

According to the current Occupational Outlook Handbook from the U.S. Department of Labor, significant employment growth is forecast in engineering through 2024, including environmental engineers (12 percent) and civil engineers (8 percent), both of which were represented at Ayres Associates’ event.