On Wednesday, high school students from across Arizona flocked to the Arizona Army National Guard’s Papago site to explore careers in the construction industry.Arizona Construction Career Days began in 2002. This year, 70 exhibitors and more than 4,500 students registered for the two-day event, according to Rose Ann Canizales, the president of the Association for Construction Career Development, the nonprofit that hosts the event.The idea for a construction career day originated in Texas, according to Canizales. Now, it’s in 23 states, she said. In Arizona, the event began with four primary partners still involved today: the National Guard, the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the Arizona Department of Education, she said.It’s free for schools and students to attend, while exhibitors pay a fee, she said.Since its inaugural year, the event’s purpose has been to expose high school juniors and seniors to opportunities in the construction industry, said Dave Nelson, a retired civil engineer and one of the event’s founders. He wants students to see that there are careers in the industry “they could do if they just took a look at it and tried a little bit of hands-on experience.”On Wednesday, there were many opportunities for students to get hands-on experience, even if just for a few minutes.High school students tried using a concrete vibrator at Haydon Building Corp’s tent and a metal inert gas welder at Vern Lewis Welding Supply’s. They participated in a hammer and nail driving competition at McCarthy’s. They finished concrete and assembled pipes at Wallcon’s, laid bricks at Arizona Masonry Council’s and used virtual reality goggles to learn about 3D building information modeling at Rosendin Electric’s.For Anthony Piña, 16, the career day was an opportunity to network and learn about the apprenticeship programs available after high school. He wants to follow in the footsteps of his father, who was an electrician, he said. “One of the earliest memories I have of him was of him taking me to work and helping him out with those side jobs that he did on his own,” Piña said. “So, ever since I was a kid, I’ve been interested and been involved in the electrical field.”He takes electrical wiring classes at Metro Tech, a school in the Phoenix Union High School District, and he heard about the career day from his teacher. He found at least two companies that he was interested in from the career day event, he said.Piña’s Metro Tech classmate, Jorge Reyna, 16, found an electrician training program from Central Arizona College and Wilson Electric that he is interested in …
[wpts_spin]{Read|See} the {entire|full} article {on|about} infrastructure development in Arizona, or, read more news about {Arizona real estate investing|real estate investing in Arizona|real estate investing in Arizona}. We {warmly |}{welcome and |}encourage you to {mention|recommend} our site to your{ circle of|} fellow investors, {letting them |allowing them to }benefit from the valuable{ resources and|} insights we provide. {Thanks!|Thank you!}[/wpts_spin]
