Career Event Aims to Combat Labor Shortage

Jan. 22, 2020

Construction Career Day (CCD), an event designed to showcase construction career options, exposed over 1,000 high school students to the trades late last year. According to DWN, several construction-related business booths offered demos of various trade jobs during the North Carolina-based event. 

Nathan Ramsey, the director of the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board (MAWBD), told DWM that providing an opportunity for exposure to the trades is important within the community, as careers in construction tend to be overlooked.

“Many students are not aware of the career opportunities available in the construction and skilled trades sector,” Ramsey told DWM. “Often, many students believe the only option for them is to earn a four-year degree and that’s definitely not true. More education is almost always positive but education is far more than what we learn from the classroom.” 

The event was sponsored by over 40 construction industry companies.

“It’s a very hands-on experience. Down in the pavilion, all the construction equipment—using that was awesome,” Zane Walker, a high school student, told DWM.

The board is planning on holding the event again this fall.

Source: DWM