200 Polk County students visit construction site for inside look into industry
BARTOW, Fla. - Residential growth is booming in Polk County and with that comes a greater need for more people to work in construction.
Porter Brown, a Bartow High School senior, is one of 200 construction academy students who received a comprehensive view of what it means to work in the industry.
Highland Homes, a builder based in Lakeland, hosted the event on Friday at the Bridgeport Lakes neighborhood in Mulberry. It's their fourth year in a row partnering with Polk County Schools.
"What we see around us is really what we're going to be doing every day if we pursue a trade," said Brown.
Important trades such as electrical, plumbing and carpentry.
"They also push that you don't have to go to college to be successful in this field," said Hannah Deese, a senior at Bartow High School ACE Academy. "Just 20 minutes ago, somebody was talking about how they're a VP of a company, and they just learned on the job."
But, there are other options too, including architectural designing, engineering and code inspecting.
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"We have roughly 32 to 35 inspectors, and we average 750 to 800 inspections a day in Polk," said Ryan Wiggins, a building official with Polk County.
As more homes are being built throughout the county, the demand for all this type of work increases.
"We're in the top 10 in the nation in growth and residential construction, so it's very vital for our students and community to understand there are a lot of different fields they can go to get a nice income and provide for their families," said Jimmy Giles, the lead teacher at Bartow High School ACE Academy.
Brown's planning on attending college for construction management.
"I really want to see my work has been used by multiple people and that what I'm doing on a day-to-day basis is helpful to people, maybe 20, 30, 40 years from now," said Brown.
At the end of the day, the program is all about helping young people see the options they have and pathways to success.