Third annual Industry for a Day, presented by Bank of America, builds greater community awareness of opportunities in construction and manufacturing

Nearly 200 educators from throughout Multnomah County immersed themselves in the fields of construction and manufacturing as a part of All Hands Raised Industry for a Day (IFAD) presented by Bank of America on April 26, 2018. A morning program featured youth voices Benjamin Gilmore, a NECA-IBEW Electrical apprentice, and Rosa Gomez, an apprentice at the Pacific Northwest Regional Carpenter’s Institute, both of whom captivated the room with their enthusiasm for what they are learning and their deep pride in their work.

Afterwards, school staff members including teachers, counselors, principals and support staff were given the opportunity to tour various industry facilities and heard from employees about opportunities in these fields. The cost of substitutes was covered thanks to contributions from East Metro STEAM Partnership, Portland Metro STEM Partnership, the SafeBuild Alliance and All Hands Raised.

The Oregon Employment Department projects that over ten years more than 30,000 jobs in the fields of construction and manufacturing will be added in the Portland region, in addition to anticipated unprecedented levels of retirements. Yet our local career-technical education programs have not recovered from past cuts, and as such are not fully aligned with the current needs of local industries The result is a weak pipeline to fill these jobs. Further, there is a deeply rooted bias that supports a “college only” mentality and stereotypes about the trades continue to limit students’ exposure to those family-wage career paths.

According to one participant, Industry for a Day “was extremely helpful to experience in depth and in person the skills necessary to construct a building. I now better understand all of the many trades involved and the amount of coordination, planning, and resources needed that will help me as I mentor students for whom this path is good option.”

The All Hands Raised Partnership is working across the community to build a system to address this bias, with a focus on closing the gap between high schools, training programs and industry. IFAD was established three years ago as a community-wide strategy to address lack of awareness, primarily by local educators, of opportunities for young people in construction and manufacturing. The event is a collaboration between All Hands Raised, East Metro STEAM Partnership, Impact NW, Portland Metro STEM Partnership and Worksystems, Inc.

Two weeks later, 25 educators from across Multnomah County travelled to the Carpenter’s International Training Institute in Las Vegas on May 9-10, 2018 in order to deepen their understanding of the skills required and opportunities that exist for students interested in this pathway. All travel expenses were covered by the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters.

Check out this year’s event by reviewing the 38 local job sites toured or by viewing the photo album!

Learn more about Bank of America’s investment in this work here.

Thank you to our Industry for a Day partners!