Fresno Career Tech Expo Oct. 21: Free Trades and Career Night at Chukchansi Park

FRESNO, CA — Chukchansi Park trades baseball for blueprints next Wednesday. The Fresno County Superintendent of Schools brings its annual Career Tech Expo downtown on October 21, a free two-hour evening where high school students, and the parents trying to help them pick a path, can talk face to face with the trade schools, training programs and industry people who turn a hands-on interest into a paycheck.

Free, no registration, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at Chukchansi Park. It is a career exploration night, not a hiring fair, and it is built for teens and the adults steering them.

Already past the school years? Jump straight to Fresno trades and technical job links →

📍 At a Glance

Event	Career Tech Expo, hosted by Fresno ROP
Date	Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Time	4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Location	Chukchansi Park, 1800 Tulare St., Fresno, CA 93721
Cost	Free
Registration	Not required
Who it's for	High school students, parents and teachers
Organizer	Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, ROP/CTE department

What the Career Tech Expo Actually Is

Fresno ROP, the career technical education arm of the county superintendent's office, bills this as the largest career tech expo in the Central Valley, and the numbers back the claim. The event page says close to 2,500 high school students come through each year. Last year's expo drew more than 100 industry and college partners, according to the FCSS Foundation's 2025 recap, with Chevron, PG&E and Bomel Construction listed among the sponsors.

The format is an open house. Local trade and training facilities set up around the ballpark, students rotate through, and a lot of it is hands-on: demonstrations and the kind of conversation that tells a 16-year-old whether welding or auto tech is worth pursuing. The 2026 exhibitor list has not been published, so we can't tell you which programs will be on the concourse this year.

⚠️ Read This Before You Go

This is not a job fair. The organizer describes it as a place to learn about careers and the education behind them, and it says nothing about employers taking applications or interviewing on site. Adults hunting for work this month will be better served by the hiring events in our fall Fresno job fairs guide, or by Macy's holiday hiring day on October 22, the very next day. Different event, different audience, different goal.

Go with your teen, let them lead, and ask every booth the same three questions: how long is the training, what does it cost, and who hires the people who finish it.

💪 Why the Trades Pitch Lands in Fresno

The Valley runs on people who build, fix and move things. Highway 99 and the 41 carry the distribution traffic, the farms and packing houses from Sanger to Kerman need mechanics and maintenance techs year-round, and utility and construction crews keep the county growing. Many of those careers start with a certificate or an apprenticeship rather than a four-year degree, which is exactly the path this expo is built to show students before senior year arrives.

Questions before Wednesday go to the Fresno ROP event line at (559) 497-3860.

🔎 Fresno Trades and Technical Jobs Hiring Now

For older siblings, recent grads and career changers, the same fields on display at the expo are posting openings across Fresno and Clovis right now, many of them entry level with on-the-job training.

Start here:

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the Fresno Career Tech Expo?

Wednesday, October 21, 2026, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Chukchansi Park, 1800 Tulare St., in downtown Fresno.

Does it cost anything, and do I need to register?

No and no. Fresno ROP says attendance is free for students, parents and teachers, with no registration required.

Can adults looking for work attend?

The event is aimed at high school students and their families, and it is not set up as a hiring event. Job seekers should use the fall job fair guide and the job links above instead.

Which companies and schools will be there?

The 2026 exhibitor list has not been posted. Last year more than 100 industry and college partners took part. Call (559) 497-3860 for the latest.

Turn Wednesday's Ideas Into a Real Search

Whether it's your teen's first look at the trades or your own next move, the fastest way to see what Fresno employers pay and want is to watch the postings. Create your free LocalJobPage account to save searches and get new Fresno openings as they land, and explore the Career Center for field-by-field guides.

Employers: hiring apprentices, technicians or entry-level crew in the Valley? Post your openings on LocalJobPage and reach Fresno candidates who are already searching.