Capital District Construction Career Days

Construction Career Days have expanded across New York State in recent years. As of 2005, over 150 events had been held nationwide and over 160,000 primarily 11th- and 12-grade students had attended.

The program is directly supported by the New York State Department of Transportation currently and the Federal Highway Administration, which provides a grant to help fund Construction Career Days events around New York State. AGC members provide the bulk of the equipment and volunteer operators, as well as booths, cash and other contributions.

Career Days events include three areas of participation:

• Booth Exhibits provide valuable information for the students and educators. Efforts should be made for outreach to contractors, state agencies, trade apprenticeship programs and two- and four-year colleges, among other for booth exhibitors.
• Hands-On Activities are opportunities for students to try performing job-related skills and functions in a controlled environment, such as finishing concrete, welding, rebar-tying, running a crane simulator, etc.
• Heavy Equipment should include both static equipment that has operators available to explain the nature of their job and the industry; and operating equipment where the students, under the guidance of a trained operator, can dig with the bucket of a backhoe or mini forklift or other activity where they actually run the equipment in a controlled, safe environment under skilled direction. We are always looking for volunteers, exhibitors, and donations.

Events are scheduled in the following areas:

Buffalo – October 2008
Rochester – October 2008
Utica – October 2008
Capital District (Albany) – April 23, 2008
Ithaca – April 2008
Syracuse – Fall 2008

Please contact, Cathy Newell at 518-456-1134.