Students Explore Building Careers & Construction Apprenticeships
Registered construction apprenticeships are proven, industry-driven, high-quality career pathways. They're opportunities for us to build and train construction talent in the skilled trades, but we love it even more when we get students involved early to benefit as future apprentices.
Senior Superintendent Dan Loehr and Virtual Architectural Designer Egor Shalamov recently helped bring awareness to opportunities in the trades by presenting to an advanced construction class at Moraine Park Technical College in West Bend. Dan's son, Austin, is a junior at Kewaskum High School and kicks off the first two hours of his school day attending the Advanced Construction Class, comprised of West Bend East, West Bend West and Kewaskum High School students. When the instructor, Robert Willmas, asked Dan if he wanted to speak to two of his classes, he took him up on his offer and looped in some of the C.D. Smith team as well.
Willmas had been trying to teach the differences between residential and commercial construction, but was finding it difficult with space restrictions and limited materials for providing hands-on experiences that engaged students in active comparisons. Dan and Egor helped fill that gap in two ways.
1» Dan discussed the details of our six signatory trades, some of which he related to the construction of a tiny house project that the classes had been working on throughout the school year. Loehr also talked about the opportunities available, the need for skilled labor and why they should consider working in the trades.
2» Egor showed timelapse videos, photo illustrations and brought a virtual reality (VR) headset so that students could experience a "live" commercial construction site. Shalamov spoke about utilizing technology for improving accuracy and efficiencies in the building process, using everything from laser scanning to drone flights to capture new data and perspectives - all of which, ultimately, benefit our customers.
Through virtual reality, the students got firsthand exposure to project stages, the construction process and skilled trades in action from a safe environment. In addition to our presentation and completing the 2023 tiny house by the end of the school year, Willmas hopes to coordinate a visit to a large commercial jobsite.
Demand for construction remains strong and school-to-work mentorships and business partnerships help transition students to apprenticeships. Registered Apprenticeships give students and career seekers the opportunity to earn and learn in highly-skilled, high-demand occupations.
Distinguishing factors of Registered Apprenticeships include:









Date: May 2, 2023 | Author: Tracy Lisowe
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