Remember the old adage, “Build it and they will come”?
This was the exact opposite: Because they came, someday they may build.
Dozens of NUSD students attended Trades Day at Cal Expo on Friday, Sept. 28, giving them a chance to talk with professionals in construction-related fields before deciding whether to enroll in a Building & Construction Trades academic pathway set to launch next year at Natomas High.
The four-hour event included excavators, bricklayers, plumbers, pipefitters, general contractors, electricians, welders, steelworkers and others, 52 companies in all, discussing career options with 1,800 Sacramento-area students. It was sponsored by the Sacramento Regional Builders Exchange Education Foundation.
“For every five people that are retiring in (construction and building trades), we only have one in the pipeline right now,” said Jordan Blair, executive director of the foundation. “So there’s going to be a huge shortage.” In the Sacramento region alone, officials hope to recruit 5,000 people annually for the next five years to help fill the gap, Blair said.
David Roberts, 18, said he is thinking about a career in road construction. Among other things, he tried operating a mini-excavator at Trades Day. “I’ve always had thoughts about construction, but I’ve never had the opportunity like this to go learn a lot more about it,” he said.
Jonathan De La O, 19, said his father works in the construction field, marking where rooms and other features will be located before a house is built. “I want to do the same thing he does – or something similar,” he said. “You get good pay, in my opinion, and you can go to different cities (and find work).”
Kamani Wiley, 17, said he looks at welding as a possible career for him.
Mireyia Acosta, 17, said that all the men in her family have construction-related jobs, and she’d be interested in exploring that career “if college doesn’t work out for me.” She would prefer a creative job working indoors, such as designing store interiors. She came to Trades Day, she said, to “learn a little bit more.”
Natomas High’s pathway will provide a rigorous academic foundation while preparing students for construction-related jobs. Participants will take classes in the building trades as well as core academic courses — English, History, Science and Math. They will learn applied mathematics, blueprint reading, financial literacy, and how to interview effectively, among other things. For more information, click here.
