Encouraging youth to explore construction career pathways

DONIPHAN, Neb. (KSNB) - A group in Doniphan is helping kids learn about the construction and heavy machinery career pathway. They’re doing that through an event their calling Equipment Days. Kids, high school age and younger, are able to experience what it’s like to use a backhoe. There are also several simulators that mimic the feel of using a bulldozer.

The Nebraska Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America are responsible for the event, and Steve Peck with the AGC, said equipment days is a direct response to the high demand in the career pathway.

“A lot of baby boomers and stuff are retiring, a lot of old people like me, getting gray hairs,” Peck said. “We needed to start getting some of the young people in our industry and so this was a brainstorm that we came up with, to come out and reach the children in the area.”

Katie Wilson with the Nebraska AGC said, Equipment Days, is an investments in the future.

“Investments in people is just as important as investments in equipment buildings and that sort of thing,” Wilson said. “So we’re just trying to do our little part to help our members and other contractors in our state build their people.”

Students at Equipment Days were also able to talk with an instructor from Central Community College about the state’s only heavy equipment program at the college level.

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