TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) – Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 2-3, students in southern Arizona will get a first-hand look at what it’s like to be in construction.
The Southern Arizona Construction Career Days comes as there is a need for construction workers more than ever. According to the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity construction jobs in the U.S. took a massive dip in September 2020 and slowly have been rebounding since.
Arizona is just below the national average which is why organizers behind Southern Arizona Construction Career Days are stepping in.
The event is designed to increase awareness of construction opportunities and to get more young people excited about the possibility of making it a career.
A record-breaking attendance is expected this year as 4,000 students between 8th and 12th grade will get a chance to do some hands-on training in the trades.
That includes operating heavy equipment like excavators and backhoes, using welding, grader and truck simulators, laying brick and making asphalt and even riding in a man lift or bucket truck up to 50 feet in the air.
Organizers say the huge increase in students over the years is very promising for the demand of construction jobs.
“The students are a big part of why we’re here. To go from 694 in 2014, to 4,000 just shows the need and the want to get students educated,” president and founder of Southern Arizona Construction Career Days Ramon Gaanderse said. “I’m really grateful to the community to come together and put this event on again and I look forward for many years to come with it.”
The thousands of students come from all across southern Arizona school districts and will spend both days getting real-life experience.
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