Milwaukee 7th graders learn about careers in construction with hands-on activities
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A shortage of construction workers nationwide has been a problem for years, leading to missed deadlines. Industry leaders have an idea they hope could ultimately correct that here in Milwaukee, teaming up with schools.
"So I'm gonna put it over your head nice and easy and I'm gonna tighten it up for ya," said one group leader.
These junior high students are moving from station to station in a field trip with purpose.
"You want to crank it down until it's nice and tight," said one group leader.
They're learning what it takes to assemble electrical outlets, pour concrete, test their skills with virtual reality and artificial intelligence, and weld together pipes.
The 7th graders learned that it would take an entire hour just to get through a four-inch pipe.
Rooms inside Northwestern Mutual in downtown Milwaukee were transformed into classrooms for the day.
"How many of you guys have family members that work in construction?" asked one group leader.
These hands-on activities hope to inspire the next generation of trade workers.
"You want to go first? All right. Take this. Mark four inches on the pipe," said one group leader.
Seventh grader Saidth Diaz got to make a bottle opener.
"So, we took, like, the PVC pipe I think, and then we marked four inches with the sharpie and then we cut it," said Diaz.
Diaz is already considering a career as an architect.
"The whole idea of this program is just for kids to explore what's possible," said Santiago Navarro, Bruce Guadalupe Community Middle School principal.
The field trip is part of Bruce Guadalupe Community Middle School's "Find Your Future" program.
"So, we have some students who are working with concrete, trying to use it to lay it nice and flat and nice and smooth, as well as brushing it," said Navarro.
"I love it. I love that they get a chance to experience construction hands-on," said Tracy Luetterman, assistant director of construction management, Northwestern Mutual.
Industry leaders hope interactions like these could lead to an increase in a field that desperately needs more workers.
"There's a shortage of trades out there, and with kids, if they can see themselves doing it, it might become a spark to - hey, I want to do this," said Luetterman.
"And I think just cause of the 'Find Your Futures,' that I could tell like what careers I want and like what I want to do in the future," said Tomas Mayorga, 7th grader.