TUCSON, Arizona -- More than 2,300 students from 60 different schools are expected to attend the 5th Annual Southern Arizona Construction Career Days Nov. 7-8 at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds, 47823 S. 6th Ave. The Pima County One-Stop Career Center is one of the sponsors.
The event gives educators an opportunity to allow students to explore careers within the construction industry, including trades, infrastructure, utilities, engineering, design and architecture and more. To do this, students will participate and investigate various careers through interactive, hands-on activities where they can gather details and information to take back and assess in their personal lives and in the classroom.
Students can expect to learn more about construction-related careers at the skilled and craft level; in drafting and architecture; technical and engineering areas; and in management and safety.
During the day, students will get to operate backhoes, mini-excavators, people lifts, an articulated boom truck and more. Hands-on activities will be offered in masonry, carpentry, electrical, welding and more.
Jobs are plentiful in construction. Nationally, approximately 200,000 new positions will be available in the next 10 years. Locally, according to Daniel Howe, workforce development specialist for Pima County’s Business Services team, nearly 35,000 jobs can be found in the buildings sector, nearly 18,000 in heavy construction, and more than 109,000 in specialty trades. The Arizona Transportation Builders Association launched Construction Career Days in 2013 as a way to focus on job creation and to create career paths in the construction industry.