While in Washington, DC, I stumbled upon the Big Build Day at the National Building Museum. The massive atrium was filled with dozens of hands-on displays and hundreds of engaged children, all pounding nails, fastening pipes together, seeing the effects of electricity, and assembling items. The exhibitors made it cool to wear hard hats, make spaghetti towers, apply masonry to build a brick wall, and simulate a flood.
It was abuzz with activity, energy, and — more subliminally — learning.
The building trades have a formalized program to train individuals for future careers in the industry. Big Build Day is just one aspect of helping youth even consider the trades as a job option. The Home Builders Institute provides no-cost training in the trades, preparing the construction and skilled labor workforce of the next generation. They tap into varied audiences, including transitioning military, veterans and their families, at-risk youth, justice-involved youth and adults, and displaced workers.
Their motto — “now is the time to train” — can apply to many more careers beyond construction.
Everyone laments about the worker shortage, and without sufficient training in specialized fields, it is only going to get worse. What are you doing today to showcase your industry for children and teens? How can you communicate the benefits of a career that youth may not have considered? Take a lesson from Big Build Day and make it an interactive, group effort to build your workforce for tomorrow.
