Event Acquaints Students with Manufacturing, Construction Jobs

Hundreds of middle school and high school students are signed up for Kootenai County's first ever Manufacturing and Construction Career Day on April 15th at the county fairgrounds.

Dubbed "Hard Hats, Hammers and Hot Dogs", the event will give young people first-hand information on the many skills and crafts in the manufacturing and construction sectors. After orientation and under supervision, they will be able to operate heavy equipment if they choose and try their hand at any one of many trades from brick laying and welding to surveying and trim carpentry.

The career day was developed by the Workforce Development Task Force of Kootenai County, which includes many of the participating businesses that are also financial sponsors. The Lakeland, Post Falls, and Coeur d'Alene School Districts have each registered more that 100 students for the event. Private school and home-schooled students have also registered.

The event, running from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Fairgrounds, offers four three-hour blocks during which the students will receive a safety briefing and then get their chances to operate one of any number of pieces of heavy equipment and tackle one of the crafts or trades before wrapping up with hot dogs while they visit information booths.

The list of business participants includes:
Haskins Steel Co., Kimball Office, ACI Northwest, Kootenai Electric, RDI Heating and Cooling, the Spokane Home Builders' Association, Stock Building Supply, Overhead Door Co., High Tech Heathing & Cooling, EW &NI Cement Masons, Bayshore Systems, Ironworkers Apprenticeship Program, the North Idaho Building Contractors Association, Interstate Concrete, Ground Force Manufacturing, Buck Knives, Century Publishing, Habitat for Humanity, Holehan Electric, Command Labor, Contractors Northwest, CDA Power Tools/Makita, The Haskins Co., Moss Adams, Simplex Grannel, Champion Pumping, Tradesman International, Dan Lyson Concrete, Altek Manufacturing, Associated General Contractors, All Wall, the Laborers Union, Avista Corp., Eclipse Traffic Control and Spokane Rock Products.

Costco, Sysco, Panhandle State Bank and Super One Foods are donating the food.

For more information, contact Toni Sayler at 415-0112.