If you have been through the school system in the last 30 years, or had a loved one in the school system, you would recognize the importance schools placed on attaining a degree from a college or university. Many times, schools would promote this path to students as the best (or only) way of creating a career and ensuring their future is a success.
However, if remodeling homes for 51 years in Walworth County shows anything about the construction industry, it's easy to see there are plenty of opportunities for a successful and rewarding career in our industry!
Fortunately, today, schools and local organizations are exposing students to the many career opportunities in the skilled trades, giving this track relevance the proper attention it deserves. Students are receiving opportunities to learn and experience these skills not only in a classroom setting but also out in the field working with local businesses invested in the future of their industry.
Last week, we were exhibitors and sponsors of the Southeastern Wisconsin "Build My Future" event that was put on by the Lakeland Builders Association and Racine-Kenosha Builders Association. Local companies from the various trades came together to provide information, experiences, and activities for almost 2,000 students interested in the construction industry! Our team, partnering with Home Lumber of Delavan, led the 1,100 middle school students and 850 high school students in assembling sawhorses! This included measuring, cutting, and assembling under the watchful eye of our team. Together, we assembled 50 sets of sawhorses that were then donated to the Racine County Fairgrounds, our hosts for the event!
Other Opportunities for Career-Based Learning with Stebnitz Builders:
Youth Apprenticeships:
Since 2018, Stebnitz Builders has been committed to working with the local schools to create these experiences for students to learn about the construction industry through the statewide Youth Apprenticeship (YA) program. Our team has been lucky to welcome six Youth Apprentices into our company since our involvement began. While our goal is to gain talented employees who will start full-time following high school, another important goal is to ensure great experiences in the construction industry and allow the YA students to decide if carpentry is their career of choice.
Currently, we have one Youth Apprentice on our team, Logan Lindloff, a Senior at Williams Bay High School! We also have two former Youth Apprentices working as Production Carpenters on our team, Grant Schaefer and Max Bochat (both from Elkhorn Area High School)
Elkhorn YouthBuild:
Another opportunity for local students to gain experience and be exposed to the construction industry is through the Elkhorn YouthBuild program organized by the College and Career Academy of Walworth County. Students have the opportunity to learn the trade from the start of a build to the finishing touches, completing homes for organizations like Habitat for Humanity. Stebnitz Builders has been involved with Elkhorn YouthBuild by sending our carpenters to mentor these students on several occasions.
On-Site Job Shadows:
High school students from the surrounding area also have the opportunity to complete a job shadow with our team to experience a full day on a job site in the construction industry. This is a unique way for students to experience the flow of a job site and to see how our crews communicate and work together. We often suggest this for anybody looking to join our team as a Youth Apprentice.
If you know a student that is interested in pursuing a career in the construction industry, be sure to encourage them to discover all the opportunities that are there for them!