Good Roads = Good Job$
By Larry Major, Chair, Workforce Development Committee
The Workforce Development Committee had a busy summer!
UNH Tech Camp — For the past three years, in July, New Hampshire Good Roads Association (NHGRA) has partnered with the University of New Hampshire (UNH) to offer Tech Camp students field trips to bridge projects in New Hampshire. This year NHGRA member companies Weaver Brothers Construction Co. and E.D. Swett opened their projects for the trip. Weaver Brothers Construction Company’s Exit 4A project, which includes the construction of a new bridge in Londonderry over Interstate 93 was the first stop in New Hampshire. Students joined the Weaver Brothers Construction Co. crew who put together a photographic timeline of the job progress and had lots of hands-on displays available for the students. The students had the opportunity to walk over the bridge to the west end and witness workers placing concrete and covering it with burlap.
The next stop was E.D. Swett’s Interstate 93 Exit 8 bridge rehabilitation project in Manchester. Students were able to see jackhammering on the bridge deck, and many took pieces of concrete as souvenirs of their visit. The E.D. Swett team also prepared a unique surprise for the group – providing students with fall protection harnesses they each had the opportunity to ride in a man basket over the edge of the bridge and lower down to observe the work being done underneath — it was definitely the highlight of this year’s Tech Camp experience.
On Friday, I attended the presentations students made to their parents and educators. It is always so impressive to see how much information and knowledge Tech Camp imparts upon the campers. The UNH Tech Camps are one-week educational experiences for 6-12 grade students. There are many camps such as robotics, rocketry, and medical to name just a few. The Bridge Tech Camp is for students in grades 8-10 who are interested in civil engineering. It is the only camp experience where the students take a field trip to see real applications of the concepts they are studying. You can learn more about the UNH Tech Camps at this website https:// ceps.unh.edu/outreach/tech-camp. Many thanks to the Workforce Development Committee members who participated and to Weaver Brother’s Construction Co. and E.D. Swett for hosting the students – two different bridge jobs that highlighted various scales of work and types of construction with different challenges.
North Country Outdoor Industry Career Expo — On September 17 we attended the North Country Outdoor Industry Career Expo at the Lancaster Fairgrounds in Lancaster. The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, White Mountain Regional High School, and the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands partnered to provide students in grades 7-12, in the north country of New Hampshire, northeastern Vermont, and parts of western Maine, the opportunity to spend the morning visiting and experiencing some of the career opportunities in the outdoor industry. The afternoon was open to anyone curious about construction, logging, landscaping, or other outdoor careers.
New Hampshire Construction Career Days — On September 26 & 27, New Hampshire Good Roads prepared an exhibit for New Hampshire Construction Career Days in New Boston. Students from all over the state spent time exploring construction careers and we were ready to promote jobs in our industry to the two thousand plus high school students that attended the two-day event.
Construction Career Fair — On October 15, we will attend the Construction Career Fair for seventh grade students at Hudson Memorial Middle School in Hudson. This will be our second year visiting students who are curious about construction and construction related jobs.
Tradeapalooza Career Expo — On November 15, New Hampshire Good Roads is proud to be a sponsor of and exhibitor at the first ever New Hampshire Bringing Back the Trades Tradeapalooza Career Expo being held at New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord. It should be a great event with comedian Juston McKinney kicking off the day followed by Kelly Ayotte leading a discussion with Mike Rowe of the hit TV show “Dirty Jobs”. The Scott Spradling Band will provide entertainment for students from throughout New Hampshire who will be visiting for the day. The event boasts $50,000 in scholarships to be given away at the event to students who want to pursue a career in skilled trades. We are hopeful that it will be a great day with opportunities to have good discussions about the value of a career in the highway construction industry! For more information on this event visit: nhbringingbackthetrades.org.
And more… In addition to these events, we are pursuing an event with the New Hampshire Science Teachers Association. We were hopeful to get something on the schedule for this fall, but it looks like it will be next spring before it happens. More to come on that in the future.
And one last thing, a BIG thank you to all the golfers who participated in our contests at the Equipment Showcase Open! Your generosity has made it possible for the Workforce Development Committee to purchase promotional materials to effectively communicate with the different audiences with which we are engaging. We will keep working hard on this initiative. Your support clearly indicates how much you value this work. If you are interested in learning more about this effort and staying up to date, please contact me at lmajor@pikeindustries.com or Brenda Clemons at the Good Roads office: info@nhgoodroads.org.
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