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Construction Career Days Fun Learning Opportunity
By Bill Brown
Hundreds of seventh through twelfth graders wearing white and blue hardhats, operated backhoes, scissor lifts, front loaders, laid bricks, operated jackhammers, cut metal with plasma cutters, and practiced CPR. These students were participating in the annual Utah Construction Career Days event at the Washington County Regional Park and Fairgrounds. 
Over 3500 middle and high school kids came to the Fairgrounds, March 24 and 25.  They came to get a taste of what careers are available in the construction arena. The event was hosted by the Washington County Extension service of Utah State University, said Kay Jean Heles, an assistant extension agent for the Washington County Extension Service.
“We have middle school and high school kids from all over the 5 county region,” Heles said. “We are trying to introduce the kids to construction, show them some of the opportunities available in the construction field.” 
Vernon Parent, the chairman of the committee overseeing the program, said the aim of the program is to expose kids to construction careers early in their development.  He said the reason for this is to peak their interest in the construction trades, and get them thinking about the opportunities that exist there. He said the average age of construction workers in the US today is 48 years old. As the baby boomers get older and retire, he said, there are more and more jobs around, and fewer and fewer young people are coming into the construction trades to fill those jobs.
“I think it is partly a negative connotation about construction,” Parent said. “There is a feeling that only people who are not smart enough for college go into construction.” 
This is a connotation he hopes to reverse, he said, by providing the kids with more knowledge about the construction trades, and doing it in a manner that is fun and appealing to the students. With the help of local firms, Parent said they were able to set up stations where the students can operate heavy machinery, pound nails, do masonry work, wire electrical cords, and cut metal with a plasma torch, all under the direct supervision of experts in the field.
“We find a lot of kids have never used a screwdriver or hammer before,” Parent said. “They have never gained those basic handyman skills.”
In many areas, vocational training is being cut in schools, due to budget constraints, Parent said.  He said he feels this is detrimental to the development of many students. He cited a California study that showed when vocational training was dropped from the curriculum, the drop out rate in California schools increased dramatically.  He said vocational activities helped keep many kids interested in learning and in  school.
Parent said although the focus of most high school counselors and teachers is preparing their students for college, not all students will go to college. He said careers in construction provide another choice for students to consider. He added there are many careers in construction that do require a college education as well. However, he said, the goal behind Construction Career Days is to create a positive experience, and memory for the students that attended the event.
“It is really cool,” said Christy Laub, a seventh grader from Tonaquint Middle School. “We are learning how to use (heavy equipment).”
Miriah Kessler, also a seventh grader from Tonaquint Middle school, said they were learning how to be safe around the equipment, and was excited by the opportunity to try out the different machines.
“I want to go up in the lift first,” she said. “Then I want to try picking up a basketball with the backhoe.”
“It is a very cool event,” Brian Armstrong, shop teacher for Tonaquint Middle School, said. “It exposes the kids to some things they might not see from the school counselors.”  He added the students really enjoy the event.
“We are looking for kids who are interested in pursuing careers from civil engineering to bricklaying,” Parent said. “If we can reach 30 kids here, it will be a success.”
Companies in the area donated well over $100,000 dollars worth of time and equipment to make the Utah Construction Career Days happen, Parent said.  He added construction is still one of the largest industries in the local area, and these companies see this as a way to help develop the manpower  needed to ensure the future survival of the industry.
The Utah Construction Career Days was hosted by the Washington County Extension Service of Utah State University.  The event was sponsored by Washington County and many local companies including Sunroc, Western Rock, SUHBA, and Dixie Applied Technology College. For more information about the event, visit the Extension Service's Web site, www.extension.usu.edu.

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