Can you make the most of a careers fair?

[BoxFoxSocks]

Ds is in year 9. His school will be holding a careers fair soon. He is completely apathetic about it because it involves going back to school outside of school hours 🙄

He is able and does well at school but is probably not the kind who will enjoy university - he is more practical and I think an apprenticeship route may be more suitable for him.

I have never been to a careers fair type thing before and as he has only just picked his options, we haven't looked at careers or further education plans yet.

Do we just mooch around and see what there is or are there specific questions/advice we should be asking or looking for?

Yes, you can mooch.

Genuinely, if he has no thoughts at the moment, then an open ended question at each stand like "Why should I become s {insert trade or profession}?" or "Why should I apply to work for {insert company or employer}?" or "Why should I do an apprenticeship?" etc and see what the people on the stands come back with.

Or

If he is enthused by something, then "How do I get in to this?" or "What qualifications would I need?" or "Is there anything I can be doing outside school, now, that would make be a better candidate?"

Some youngsters are interested in how much they can earn / if they can travel / what benefits there might be.

Parents often like to know how difficult it is to get in to. What further training.