TCIA set to host Student Career Day

The Tree Care Industry Association has again partnered with STIHL to host Student Career Day as part of TCI EXPO ’23.

The event will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, from November 16-18 at the America’s Center Convention Complex.

This career development event is for students pursuing a career in arboriculture, horticulture or forestry currently attending a vocational school, college or university. Students get a chance to connect with professionals from all over the country who are actively looking to hire new employees and invest in career training.

TCI EXPO, celebrating its 85th year, garnered over 5,000 tree care professionals as attendees last year.

“This is a great opportunity for aspiring students who want to network and learn first-hand from professionals in the industry,” says Erin Demers, TCIA’s manager of workforce recruitment and retention. “We realize that finding new workers has been challenging for everyone in the industry. More than 5,000 students have attended over the last 25 years.”

Stihl has sponsored this event for more than 16 years.

“We love supporting students and exposing them to all the great opportunities in the tree care industry. It’s an exciting time to work in this field. We want to foster and inspire the next generation of tree care workers and give them every chance to thrive in this industry,” says Adam Wolff, event marketing specialist with Stihl.

This year partner companies will also host a student skills competition, which so far, includes a knot-tying competition, a “gear match,” tree trivia and a pest identification. 

Other participating partners who support Student Career Day include:

• Ahlum & Arbor Tree Preservation
• Bartlett Tree Experts
• Heartwood Tree Service
• International Society of Arboriculture
• Metropolitan Forestry Services
• Monster Tree Service
• National Association of Landscape Professionals
• PlanIT Geo
• Ryan Lawn and Tree
• SavATree
• The Davey Tree Expert Company
• Wachtel Tree Science

Thanks to SCD’s Adopt-a-School Partners, TCIA will be providing travel reimbursements on a first-come, first-serve basis. Funding is limited and reimbursements will be provided after the event.  

Students also get a free All-Access Pass to TCI EXPO ’23 which includes 39 educational sessions, a trade show with more than 270 exhibitors, a welcome reception at the Biergarten at Anheuser-Busch sponsored by Vermeer, tree demonstrations, Trainer’s Lab sessions on the trade show floor and much more. More than 4,000 arboriculture professionals attend this event.

The trade show features 270 exhibitors covering a 425,000-foot trade show floor. Attendees can meet directly with vendors, demo products, try on gear, see equipment in action, and much more. It also features TCI EXPOClimb, a small village within the trade show for tree climbers to test gear and get product advice on everything from harnesses to ropes, personal protective equipment (PPE), and hardware, which they can try out at the "Open Truss" zone. 

This year, TCIA is introducing the all-new Demo Dome, which provides attendees an opportunity to take a test drive on cutting-edge equipment, from small chain saws to aerial lifts and skid steers.