SPOKANE, Wash. — Down at the Spokane County Fairgrounds, you may see lots of big trucks and excavators. Well, that’s because the Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors is hosting construction career days for local high school students.
Twelve-hundred local high school students have had the chance to operate and get up close with a variety of construction equipment.
As infrastructure across Spokane County and North Idaho continues to develop, AGC says that contractors want to introduce students early to a viable career path.
“The construction industry is huge in Spokane especially with how we are just booming right now," Workforce Development Director Jessica Moody said. "And it’s growing, our infrastructure is growing. So, we want to get students involved now at an early age.”
High school students in the area say that they notice how construction has built the world around them.
“It's huge. Everywhere where I drive, especially this summer and fall I see construction, it’s all over," says Lewis and Clark High School student Jacob Barenti.
From dozers to rollers and excavators, construction career days give students the chance to get out of the classroom to really get that hands-on experience.
“It’s super cool to be able to operate like millions of dollars of equipment in total of all this stuff," 11th grader Grant Gustafson said. "It’s cool to see it. Like most of the time you have zero access to this stuff, especially at our age."
Students like Grant take engineering and CTE courses at Lewis and Clark High School, where he said trades like construction are being heavily pushed in the high school’s curriculum.
He told KREM he aspires to own his own construction business and to be financially free.
AGC says that construction days get students connected with contractors now so as they graduate high school, navigating that job search is not as intimidating.
“Getting kids out here, getting on equipment, getting their first exposure," Mike Ankney, the apprentice director for Inland Northwest AGC, said. "We have had many people go through apprenticeship programs that have become future business owners.”
Moody said getting started in the career path takes little to no debt, which has meant an increase in students who look for jobs in the trade.
Cole Bafus, a senior at Lewis and Clark High School said he wants to go to Washington State University for construction management. He claimed an event like this gives him the chance to ask the important questions to those in the industry.
“I think it gives you [a] better understanding of what you want to do in the future," Bafus said.
Construction Career Days continue through October 31st from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Spokane County Fairgrounds and Expo Center.