More than 2,000 high school students are expected at Southern Arizona Construction Career Days, which returns to the U of A Tech Park at The Bridges in Tucson next week. Arizona Online and Pima Community College are teaming up with Southern Arizona construction industry leaders to bring the event back, according to a University of Arizona media advisory issued October 13 (via University of Arizona News).
Student events run Wednesday, Oct. 21, and Thursday, Oct. 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Setup is Tuesday, Oct. 20, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The tech park is near 36th Street and Kino Parkway.
Organizers expect more than 70 sponsors and interactive booths. Students can learn about trades such as carpentry, electrical work and welding, and see the technology used across the industry, from drafting, engineering and architecture to computer-aided construction and controls.
The hands-on activities are the main draw. Students will get to build a tiny home, put up a concrete wall and run construction equipment, including remote-control excavators and a skid steer.
Experts on hand include John Kramkowski, director of learning programs for Arizona Online; Bonnie Taylor, Arizona Online's senior director of business operations; and Greg Wilson, a dean at Pima Community College. Taylor and Wilson co-lead the Building Futures partnership.
The advisory was aimed at media, who were asked to RSVP by Oct. 15. It does not say whether more sponsors or exhibitors can still sign up for this year's event.