The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) of Western Kentucky hosted high school technical students from throughout the region for their 13th annual Construction Career Day at Murray State’s Bill Cherry Agricultural Exposition Center on Oct. 16.
1,600 students from approximately 18 schools across the region registered for the career day, according to AGC of Western Kentucky Executive Vice President Chris Nelson. He said that the event is primarily aimed at high school Juniors and Seniors in technical programs such as electrical, carpentry and welding, as well as agriculture students.
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) of Western Kentucky’s 13th annual Construction Career day hosted roughly 1,600 technical and agriculture students and 30 exhibitors for networking in the construction industry at Murray State’s Bill Cherry Agricultural Exposition Center on Oct. 16.
“The main goal behind this event is to connect students to the construction industry,” Nelson said. “When they get to meet professionals that are actually in the field, they can connect with them. It’s also a great connection point for our local tech center schools and their instructors. We want to expose these students to the variety of rewarding careers in construction. We have a huge workforce shortage, so we want to show them that there’s a lot of opportunity right here in West Kentucky where they can go into a career for an entire lifetime and be successful.”
Nelson said that in the past there has often been a disconnect between technical school instructors and actual apprenticeship programs and contractors in the region. He believes that the event’s greatest value is forming a strong connection between schools and the construction industry, as well as letting students know that there is a lot of local opportunity.
“The main goal behind this event is to connect students to the construction industry,” Chris Nelson, AGC of Western Kentucky Executive Vice President, said. “When they get to meet professionals that are actually in the field, they can connect with them.”
“Like I said, we’re in a workforce shortage,” Nelson said. “We’re seeing a lot of work in our region, and we just want to make it clear to our students that are coming today that there is opportunity. There’s jobs available for them and we want them to stay here in West Kentucky and keep them working in our region. We also want to promote our tech school programs, and just show the value that they have, not only locally to economic development, but also to prepare those students for potential careers in our industry.”
Nelson said that around 30 exhibitors are attending Construction Career Day this year, including labor apprenticeship programs, local contractors, and unions. In addition to networking opportunities, many of the booths offer equipment demonstrations and activities related to the trades they’re promoting.
One of those exhibitors is Pinnacle, Inc., a general contracting firm based out of Benton, Kentucky. Their booth allowed students to try out a ride-on trowel machine used for finishing concrete slabs.
A student testing driving a ride-on trowel for finishing concrete at Pinnacle, Inc.’s booth.
Jonathan Martin, Project Manager and Estimator for Pinnacle Inc., said that the company has been participating in Construction Day for years and is glad for the opportunity to support and interact with local schools.
“We meet hundreds and hundreds of students from all over that ask us what job opportunities look like and what we can help them do in the future,” Martin said. “We hope that they gain an appreciation for the construction industry and look for a potential career path later on in life.”
Anna Southern, a Junior at Paducah Tilghman High School who takes welding courses at the Paducah Innovation Hub, was one of the students in attendance. She said that she was having a lot of fun exploring the different booths with her friends.
“I’ve never been to something like this, and I’m so grateful for all the people that are helping to put this on so that we can gain these experiences as high schoolers before we need to make real world decisions about jobs,” Anna Southern (left), a Junior at Paducah Tilghman High School who takes welding classes at the Paducah Innovation Hub, said.
“We got to go outside and I did the linemen pull, which I may or may not have fallen down from,” Southern joked. “There’s some cool things I’m looking to try out, especially the crane. It looks like a lot of fun, and it’s really cool getting to meet all these companies and the people running them.”
Southern’s current career goal is to become a welder on pipelines, offshore oil rigs, or in the river industry. She plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in construction management at a college that allows her to simultaneously take more welding courses and earn more certifications.
“That’s going to be my fallback if an injury through rodeo or welding ever happens and I can’t be out in the field,” Southern said. “It would allow me to be a supervisor or anything higher up in most of the trade industries. And it will look really good if I ever want to join a union or something similar.”
Paducah Tilghman High School Junior Anna Southern welding at one of the booths.
Southern said that she thinks Construction Career Day is a great way for her and her fellow students to explore different career options they may not have considered before and gain some perspective on what they entail.
“It’s letting us learn how to manage equipment while being taught by professionals before we get on a job site,” Southern said. “Like the linemen pull. I’ve always wanted to try something like that, to see if it’s something I would enjoy. Here I have the opportunity to try that and say, hey, maybe my balance isn’t good enough for this. Or, maybe I don’t have good enough hand eye coordination for operating the cranes or something similar. I’ve never been to something like this, and I’m so grateful for all the people that are helping to put this on so that we can gain these experiences as high schoolers before we need to make real world decisions about jobs.”
