With the hum of heavy construction equipment in the background, students from schools across the Greater Capital District watched in admiration as skilled tradespeople and professional operators demonstrated their industry knowledge at the 11th annual Capital District Construction Career Days.
Held at the Laborers Training Facility in Glenmont over two days, nearly 1,200 students participated in the event meant to provide high schoolers with additional career options as they are about to graduate. Staring on Wednesday, April 25, the local event is just one of many similar construction days happening throughout the country.
“The event works both ways to provide work for future graduates and recruit workers to local businesses,” said Brendan Manning, co-chairman of the Capital District Construction Career Days for the past four years. “It’s more about career opportunities as compared to job opportunities.”
The event itself started about 15 years ago in Texas, according to Manning. The Federal Highway Division, which funds federal highway projects throughout the
country, worked with the local New York State division to try to put a similar event together locally. They started off small in the Capital District and expanded around the state. There are now seven different sites around New York holding construction career events, usually on different weekends so some of the same organizers can participate.
Members from local construction companies, trade unions, apprenticeship programs and colleges were on hand to provide students with information to learn what requirements were needed to break into different fields in the construction industry. Manning said most fields require at least a G.E.D. to enter their programs with additional training either provided on the job or at a trade school. Some work requires special licenses or permits to work heavy equipment.
Manning said the event is meant to give students an idea of what the construction industry is all about.
“I think most times people only ever see this kind of stuff on the news or when they get stuck in traffic somewhere. We don’t want people to come out with this pessimistic idea attitude of ‘oh they’re just holding me up in traffic,’” he said. “We need to show (the younger generation) that infrastructure and schools and bridges and hospitals all get built. These jobs are here and they can’t get shipped off to India or China like a technology job. We need these jobs and they will always be here, so we need to share the opportunities that exist.”
Attendance at the construction event has been down in recent years because of cuts to schools budgets and state aid, according to Ellie Engalsbe, manager and CFO of EMI Guide Rail in Schenectady. The company has volunteered at the event for five years.
Engalsbe called the lower attendance “regrettable.”
“A lot of these kids are in the BOCES program and aren’t necessarily college-bound kids and a lot of them will be looking for work,” she said. “My understanding is a lot of these kids are seniors and we definitely need people in the trades. We’re always going to have residential home building, always going to need carpenters and painters…”
Engalsbe said she believes the general push to attend college has led to the shortage of workers in construction trades.
According to information provided by the Associated General Contractors of America, 2.2 million fewer people are working in the construction industry nationwide than at its peak in April of 2006. The economy and subsequent lack of new construction has greatly contributed to those numbers, though.
Albany County Executive Dan McCoy attended the event and took a tour of the different exhibits, talking to students, teachers and construction industry professionals along the way.
“I think the event is great because it gives the students options and that’s what they need in life right now,” he said.
Students from schools across the Greater Capital District were given the opportunity to operate the heavy machinery themselves under the supervision of trained professionals. They were also able to watch construction demonstrations such as brick and pipe laying, welding, cement finishing and electrical installation.
Cameron Payne, a senior as South Colonie High School, said the event helped him to learn what we wanted to do in the future.
“I’m not a real school guy,” said the 18-year-old. Unsure of what college to go to, Payne decided he wanted to enter the apprentice program at the local labor union to become an operator.
“I like the crane because you can make the most money at it,” he said.
South Colonie technology teacher John Gehres said the event has helped his students see they do have a future and job options.
“All of a sudden they came here and said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ It’s something they’re interested in and they don’t have to do to college for it,” he said.
