Jessica Ottaviano, 386-943-5473
jessica.ottaviano@dot.state.fl.us

Thousands of High School Students Explore the Transportation Construction Industry at Central Florida Construction Career Days

ORLANDO - More than 3,000 Central Florida junior and senior high school students are building their careers at the 19th annual Central Florida Construction Career Days. The event, hosted by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and its industry partners, helps teenagers explore and build a strong foundation for a successful future in transportation construction.

"Construction Career Days is a great opportunity to introduce tomorrow's potential tradespeople to today's roadbuilding industry," said Geoff Scales, Senior Project Manager with Hubbard Construction Company and co-chair of the event.

Construction Career Days takes place at the Central Florida Fairgrounds Jan. 31-Feb. 1 from 7:30 a.m. to      3 p.m. each day.

Junior and senior high school students from more than 70 Central Florida schools throughout nine counties are attending Construction Career Days to learn about the many available opportunities and experience some skilled trades firsthand. Engineers and skilled trade workers from local firms, technical schools and FDOT will hold more than 30 interactive learning labs. Students will even get a chance to try their hand at operating heavy equipment and simulators.

Construction opportunities represented through the program are not minimum wage jobs, but rather steady careers. "These are careers that you can grow with. If you've got the ambition and the drive, you can build a career in the construction industry and go far," Scales added.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the number of jobs in the construction field will grow by nearly 22 percent over the next few years, but the current labor pool is shrinking with the average skilled worker retiring at close to 50 years old. That's why Construction Career Days encourages Central Florida high schoolers to explore the wide variety of opportunities available in the transportation construction industry.

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