By Angie Weidel, ASA Chapter Director, ASA-Baton Rouge
On April 6th, 2022 our Greater Baton Rouge Chapter hosted our first annual Bridging the Gap Expo at Walker High School in Walker, LA. This was a “labor of love” project from our Programs and Events committee. Our goal was to showcase who we are to the community while also creating awareness of our specific trades to high school students. In an area that is so heavily focused on the oil and gas industry, our goal was to “capture the imaginations” of our young people toward commercial construction trades and possibly change their expectations of what a career in the construction industry actually looks like.
Industry professionals in attendance ranged from real estate developers and general contractors to industrial suppliers. Juniors and seniors were allowed to flow through the gym and check out each exhibitor present. Many of these exhibitors were pleasantly shocked when they not only ran out of swag items offered, but at the intelligent questions these students asked about their companies. The students that participated in the project showcase were interviewed toward the end of the expo and admitted that beforehand, had little to no knowledge of what the possibilities might be for them in construction. Several said that they thought construction was simply “manual labor” or that it was “like digging a hole and hoping for the best” or better yet, “it’s the guy holding the sign during road construction that tells you when to go and when to stop.” When asked what they thought now that they’d had an opportunity to see more actual opportunities, they said their minds had definitely been changed. Statements such as, “I had no idea so much technology was used in construction,” were abundant!
Four of our member companies, Cornerstone Commercial Flooring, Equipment Depot, Sitech LA, and Five-S Group invited 10 High School juniors and seniors to spend 20 hours of hands-on work on a project of their choice showcasing their trade. These hours resulted in a video or physical scale model presentation that was featured in their booth at the Expo on April 6th. Walker High School donated the use of their new gym for our 18 exhibitors and their courtyard for our equipment showcase area, which exposed students and the community at large to a wide range of services, products and trades.
Topping off our event was the voting that took place using QR codes and smart phones to determine the winners in given categories. Each student in three of the winning categories received $325 in scholarship money to put toward their education. Our National ASA team and the other Executive Directors were sent a QR code to determine who the winner was for the Best Social Media Campaign category which went to Joe Weidel and his team with Equipment Depot. The member companies that hosted students and created projects voted in the same fashion for the Best Teamwork Category. John Landry and the team at Sitech LA won this category. The students in attendance voted for the Most Innovative category which was held by Paul Henderson and the team at Five-S Group. Our Best in Show Gary Thornton Scholarship was voted on by the chapter members and exhibitors. Ben Lowery and Cornerstone Commercial Flooring took home this top prize which included a $500 scholarship for each student. All 10 students also received a $100 gift card.
At the end of the Expo, members and non-members alike were very pleased with our success. Special shout out to Jason St. Pierre, Principal of Walker High School and his administrative assistant, Kelly Becnel for all of their hard work and efforts putting us in touch with teachers and students, tables and chairs. We could not have done this without their support and belief in their students and in us!
As of now, we are planning to make this an annual event that will hopefully include many more students at other schools in our local area. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the success of this event! This is our way of tackling the workforce development issue that we all face. The students were excited about next year and the future opportunities available to them in construction. The school administration was thrilled to have our local tradesmen take a much-needed interest in showing high school students an accurate representation of construction careers. The member companies and project hosts found renewed value in belonging to our chapter due to our efforts here. Non-member companies…they joined! As of this writing, at least three of the high school students in attendance have been hired by the companies represented at our Expo! THIS IS WHY WE DID IT…JOBS!!!
I encourage you to get involved! School administrators and counselors DO NOT know your industry like you do! The community colleges and training programs available DO NOT know your industry like you do. These students only speak with folks they know and really have no clue what’s ACTUALLY available to them OR what kinds of technology and opportunities await them. Yet, we often blame the kids for not knowing…THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY DON’T KNOW! It’s up to US to get involved, show them how hard work can be rewarding. Show them what they CAN do! Make your certification programs internally attractive to student interns and young employees that may not stay with you forever. Teach them how to build a legacy that they can put their hands on and will last! Let’s BRIDGE THE GAP and capture their imaginations! You might be surprised to find your own creative spark ignited!
