Students get hands-on introduction to careers in construction

TAMPA, Fla. - The Hillsborough County fairgrounds were alive Tuesday with the sound of construction. More than 1,000 area high school students came to the fairgrounds Tuesday for Construction Career Day.

It was an interactive glimpse into the construction industry.

"There's a lot of hands-on, especially down in the equipment area, where we let them actually operate equipment," said Dan Hart, who has helped plan the event over the years. 

And that seems to be where it's all at. Sylvia Adams, an older technical college student at Erwin College, says she's in the midst of a career change. And this event is what can help students decide what to pursue. 

"There are a lot of wonderful pieces of equipment here, and if gives you the opportunity to be hands-on with equipment that they might consider a career in actually operating," Adams said.

Hart says this event, now in its fifth year, also allows students to apply for jobs on the spot.

"A lot of the jobs will be entry-level with the various construction companies," he said. "We also have a career center inside."

And the number of young women in the crowd proves the interest in the field does not discriminate. Hundreds of women like Hannah Perry came for the day.

"I thought it would be a good experience to learn about different things in this industry, but I didn't really think there was much to this aspect of it," Perry said. "But there's actually a lot, and it seems like a lot of fun."

Tyler Rae Taylor, a Tampa Bay Tech Student, says she's taken an interest in the asphalt company. 

"The making of it, and the different layers, it's interesting," she offered.

An architecture student, Taylor said the stereotype of the construction field being for "men only" has really changed over the last several years.

"More and more people are getting confident, and stepping outside of the box," she said.

The career day drew around 1,100 students from Polk, Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee counties.