Heavy Lifting Involved in Career Days Event

Nearly 900 students from 20 Big Island schools got a chance today at hands-on experience with construction equipment and tools.

The Hawaii Construction Career Days event held at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium in Hilo gave students an opportunity to learn about various construction fields directly from industry and trade representatives. This was the sixth time the event was held.

The event held in the parking lot of the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium included demonstrations of a variety of types of construction equipment. Courtesy photo.

Students were allowed to operate heavy equipment such as bulldozers, cranes, cement mixers and backhoes, and to ask detailed questions about prospective careers.

For safety purposes, each student was provided with a hard hat, safety goggles, earplugs and a backpack to wear in the “Heavy Equipment” and “Trades” event areas.

According to a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, the primary goal of the event is to enhance career technology education, increase the diversity of the construction industry workforce and to better prepare high school and college students for careers in the construction industry.

More than 600 students attended the event the last time it was held in 2010.