BILLINGS Nearly 1,200 Billings high school seniors gathered at the Montana Pavilion at MetraPark on Tuesday to explore their future career and education options.The career and opportunity fair was organized by Billings Public S chools Career Outreach Director Bo Bruinsna, who said there was a heightened focus on getting employers there as the number of students entering the workforce out of high school increases.Click here to learn more: Billings high school seniors explore trades and workforce opportunities as college enrollment declines"We just have seen more students being a little bit more thoughtful about if theyre going to go to college," Bruinsna said Tuesday afternoon.Bruinsna said the number of Billings public-school students attending Montana universities has dropped significantly since he started in his role seven years ago."I would say when I first started, it looked more like half of our seniors would enroll in those colleges," Bruinsna said. "Were down to about one fourth of our students go to that system every year. I dont think its because more kids are going out of state or to private colleges."Bruinsna and many others at the fair attribute it to a changing trend with students entering the workforce directly out of high school.Director of Warehouse at Sysco Foods Robert Fox said it's a significant difference that he's noticed at fairs like this one."In the last couple years, youll see a lot more people that are not going, which is great because not everyone needs a college degree," Fox said. "The trades need some people, too."Fox believes that it comes from the rising cost of college."I think it all has to do with the economy," Fox said. "I mean, spending a lot of money on a college education doesnt mean youre going to make that much money. You can make a lot of money in the trades."Montana State Admissions Counselor Charly Allmer said she, too, has noticed the trend."Theres definitely been a huge change. Every person is really different in how they think their future should go," Allmer said.Allmer added that her goal at career fairs is to meet students where they are, even with the increased competition among schools and employers."I think at the end of the day, when you're working as an admissions counselor, it's definitely about doing what's best for the student in that situation," Allmer said.Even with the changes, there are still many going the traditional college route, such as Skyview senior Emilee Stenberg. She said she was impressed with how many different booths were there for students."I think its a great opportunity for us to just see whats going on around Billings," Stenberg said Tuesday afternoon. "Theres a lot of businesses here. I like that the colleges are here. Its just a really great opportunity to see a bunch of the stuff."Stenberg recognized how valuable the employee tables are for some of her fellow peers."I think its great because I know a lot of people are super against college and dont want to go to school," Stenberg said. "Or just want to go into like trad(es) or construction or whatever, and its just super easy to get the insides on that."For employers like Fox, it's a way to grow as a business while helping students weigh all of their options."Were not just here for jobs. Were here for careers," Fox said. ...read more read less