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SATSOP -They built scaffolding, operated cranes, laid tile, compacted sand, drove backhoes, practiced paving techniques, constructed tunnels, ran a jack hammer and more - and that was all before lunch.
For more than 500 students from 20 school districts in Western Washington Friday, school was a whole different experience.
It was the annual Try-a-Trade in Construction career fair sponsored by the Regional Educational and Technical Center (RETC) at Satsop Development Park near Elma, and by all accounts it was a huge success.
"This is the crown jewel of field trips!" raved Terry Arnold, a teacher at Shelton High School, who brought two busloads of students to the event. "This is the one they can literally get in and do things."
The message was clear throughout the event: An apprenticeship in the building and construction trades is a career option that includes family-wage pay, excellent benefits, and even the opportunity to get a college degree.
For three Elma students standing in line for a turn operating a crane - Kat Hennigar, Shelby Weiller and Ally Bertsch - the tunnel making grabbed their attention.
"You just had to listen to the directions and work together as a team," said Weiller. "It was really fun."
During the event, students also had the opportunity to tour part of the huge BMT-Northwest building, one of the largest steel fabricators on the west coast. They got to operate some of the overhead cranes, plus see demonstrations of plasma cutting, plate rolling and welding of large structures as employees performed their daily work.
"We're here to give the kids an eye-opener of what they could do other than pump gas," said Andrew Madrid, of the Cement Masons and Plasters union.
"We love hosting this event," said Tami Garrow, CEO of Satsop Development Park. "The energy level is high and the campus is full of young people exploring career options. What a great way to match tomorrow's workforce with those high-wage, high-demand job-training opportunities.
Article provided by the Satsop Development Park.  For the full press release, click here.
The Regional Education and Training Center (RETC) is a non-profit training organization created by a three-year $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. Located at the Satsop Development Park, the RETC provides industry responsive training to promote jobs and economic growth in the Pacific Mountain Region, which includes Grays Harbor, Pacific, Mason, Lewis and Thurston counties.
The RETC offers a variety of programs including job ready OSHA and LNI certifications, NCCCO crane operator certifications, LEED Green Building certificates, management courses for small- and medium-sized firms, as well as providing educational support for K-12 and community college programs in the region. More information on the RETC can be found at www.retc-satsop.org.