Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa test drive jobs in construction at Milton career day
Student from across Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties met at the Santa Rosa County fairgrounds this week for the second in-person iteration of the Northwest Florida Construction Career Days, an event offered to current juniors and seniors to give them exposure to the potential career paths in the construction field.
The first version in Northwest Florida took place in 2019 and the coronavirus pandemic forced the event to hold off in 2020 and move to an online format last year. But this year, about 900 students met over two days to get hands-on introductions to the world of construction, engineering and similar fields.
"Our industry is in need of workers at all levels. Of course, you see construction projects all over the area, and we are always busy. Contractors need workers," said Florida Department of Transportation Operations Engineer Heather Baril. "They need everybody from laborers, to project managers. We're all just busy."
Baril said the event is put on by a combination of agencies including FDOT, the Florida Transportation Builders' Association and other local efforts. The Federal Highway Administration also helps to provide funding for the event.
Near-identical, construction-based events take place across Florida in cities like Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville.
In Milton, students had the opportunity to experience the construction field in a variety of ways. Assorted construction machines, from backhoes to bucket trucks, sat sprawled out on the grounds. Each one was manned by a supervisor who would give the students instructions on tasks to complete as they went hands-on operating the equipment.
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"I could sit here and tell (the students) all day long what we do," Baril said, adding using the machinery gives the students a better appreciation and understanding of the work.
Various employers and educators also set up shop under a tent, ready to teach the students about what work in the field looks like. The kids had the opportunity to learn employment information, and students 18 or over could even fill out job applications.
"Talking to one of the contractors that's on site here today, they are considering expanding. Right now, they're looking at applicants 18 and over," Baril said. "They're considering going down to age 16 — hiring people at age 16. So, that kind of gives you an indication of a need."
Representatives at the event from the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office told the News Journal that, during one day, about 20 students took information about the department, whether it was a business card or job description.
Other professionals put on informational and interactive education sessions for students. In total, there were 27 of these learning labs offered to students. And the instructors included people who work in fields such as bridge design, street intersection infrastructure and construction communications. They also hosted small sessions for groups of about 15 students at a time.
"We have a learning lab that teaches them about communications and resume writing, (which gives them information on) what do you actually do to go and market yourself and get a job," Baril said. "We've got a number of geotechnical firms out here — asphalt paving, everything. It's really a mixture of everything that this industry has to offer."
JW Hunter, an engineer with Atkins, said he has worked with the Jacksonville iteration of the event for about seven years now. He said that in other parts of Florida, the events will attract close to 3,000 students, putting the Northwest Florida version on the smaller end of the scale.
The schools spent roughly four to five hours at the event, and over 400 volunteers turned out to help operations run smoothly. Baril said the turnout and interest from exhibitors was particularly high this year.
"That was one thing we noted for next year. We're going to get a bigger tent so that we can fit more (exhibitors)," Baril said.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Northwest Florida Construction Career Days returns to Milton
