Creating a Construction Pipeline
How CEFGA Career Expo is Laying Foundation for the Future
What do you want to be when you grow up? The response to this question gives insight into what children have been exposed to—and their dreams for the future. But how do you know if you are even interested in something without having firsthand experience?
The Construction Education Foundation of Georgia (CEFGA) has addressed that concern by creating a forum where students receive exposure to a broad range of industries, including construction. The CEFGA Career Expo is an annual event that introduces students to a whole new world of opportunities. More like a construction universe, the event is comprised of 17 different segments of the construction industry known as “worlds.” This year, the two-day event, held in March at the Georgia Convention Center, hosted over 7,200 attendees—with more than 5,200 students taking part in the activities.
The inspiration for the Career Expo came from two influencing factors: an event held by SkillsUSA, where students participated in a national skills competition, and the need to efficiently share information about construction-related careers with youth throughout the state. SkillsUSA is an organization that brings together students, teachers and representatives from a variety of industries to equip youth with technical and leadership skills to prepare them for the workforce. Scott Shelar, President and CEO of CEFGA, explains, “We were really inspired by the scope of the
SkillsUSA national event and all of the excitement around kids in career and technical education. So, we said, ‘Hey, we want to bring this excitement back to Georgia.’ Also, we were getting calls from schools from all over the state wanting us to come to their career days. We’d go out and take part in career fairs as much as we could, but then thought, ‘What if we did one event where we asked the schools to come to us at a central location?’ ”
Thus, the CEFGA Career Expo was established. The inaugural event in 2004 focused on introducing construction careers to only high school students. Over the years, the program has expanded to include middle school and technical college students as well.
“It’s really exciting to get the middle school students involved, and it’s a way to boost enrollment in our high school programs. If we catch them in middle school and get them excited about construction, when they get to high school they can enroll in the construction program. So, we kind of see it as a little feeder system that we’re building here for our industry,” shares Scott.
An Engaging Education
Middle school and high school students find that this event is nothing like their typical classroom career day experiences. That’s because CEFGA’s Career Expo is like a school career day on steroids. It tactically engages all the students’ senses to immerse them in the world of construction. Safety is paramount at this gathering, just like on a construction site, so students’ first stop on their tour is at a safety orientation. Here, they each receive a hard hat and safety glasses to wear throughout the event, which are theirs to keep. Scott adds, “A safety professional talks to them about all of the hazards that they could encounter on the floor. It’s like they’re walking onto a real construction job site. That’s what we work to simulate.”
Once their orientation is complete, students and teachers can explore the free-flow event at their own pace. Scott describes what the students do as they navigate the terrain: “They’re operating equipment, laying brick and block or setting tile. They’re also talking to industry professionals from mechanical contracting companies or general contracting companies. Additionally, representatives from several universities talk about construction management. If students want to earn a four-year degree, at this event they can learn about the different construction management programs offered here in the southeastern United States.”
Students also have an opportunity to learn about and interact with technologies that play an integral part in many facets of the construction business. “Last year we introduced Oculus—a 3D technology,” Scott continues. “We found that the kids like seeing how technology is used in our industry. They get really excited when they can see the practical applications.”
Keeping these young learners excited and engaged is what the event’s planning committee works to achieve, adding new companies and exhibitors’ activities each year. Scott describes a new feature for 2017. “In the construction management segment, we had a contest where the students went head-to-head identifying personal protective equipment (PPE) and pinpointing which equipment goes with what trade. Students had a bucket full of all the safety equipment and had to dress mannequins from different trades with the proper equipment. It’s a timed race to determine who can identify the right equipment and dress the mannequin the fastest,” he says.
Industry Involvement
The excited energy that students display at the Career Expo is shared by educators and industry volunteers. “What’s interesting about this event is that it’s so hard to figure out who’s having a better time. Obviously the kids are enjoying it, and the teachers, who love bringing their kids here, say it’s the best field trip they go on throughout the school year. What’s so cool is that the industry folks who are involved say the same thing. They say they love being at this event and interacting with the students, and getting them excited about our industry,” says Scott.
Close to 900 industry volunteers invest their time in the exposition. One of those volunteers, Jody Klodner, Personnel/Safety Director at Marek Interior Systems Inc., has been involved with the CEFGA Career Expo for over a decade. Jody enthusiastically describes one of the interactive activities sponsored by his company, Screw University, a pseudo institution where professors teach students how to use a screw gun properly. Upon completing the activity, participants receive diplomas and backpacks.
Jody is passionate about helping students understand that although college may be the path for some, for others it may be better to jump right into the field. “By interacting with learners at the high school and junior high levels, we can identify early on those who don’t necessarily want to go to college and let them know they can still earn a good wage without a college degree,” Jody explains.
CEFGA board member Dave Tzimenatos, Field Operations Manager for McKenney’s Inc., has participated in two previous CEFGA Career Expos. Like Jody, he is driven to help students learn about multiple pathways to viable careers in construction. Dave also wants to help them understand that there are a variety of fields from which to choose. “The expo shows students that there are many different types of construction roles and diverse types of work,” he shares.
With all that this event already offers, you would think there isn’t much room for improvement. However, Scott has a vision to continue expanding the program’s reach by integrating more technology, employing social media, and involving more industries.
“We want to keep it growing and make it bigger. Though it’s probably one of the biggest events of its kind in the United States, we realize that there are hundreds of thousands of middle school and high school students in Georgia—so we’re really just scraping the surface,” says Scott.