2024 Alaska Construction Career Day

fter a gap of three years, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, or DOT&PF, Construction Career Day was back and better than ever at the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer May 1.

Around 800 middle and high school students from Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna Borough school districts attended the morning event, where they learned about opportunities in the construction industry and had a chance to connect with various employers, from the Alaska Division of Forestry to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Home-schooled students and those from alternative schools were invited to take part in the afternoon. The goal, says Zhenia Peterson, DOT&PF Civil Rights Programs and compliance specialist, is to get students to start thinking about their future before they graduate.

The event was rooted in an effort to make sure that minorities were hired in the trade industries, Peterson says. This year marked the thirteenth year the event has been held in the Anchorage/Mat-Su area; the department has also held five Construction Career Day events in Ketchikan (focusing more on marine trades), four in Seward, and one in Soldotna.

The May 1 event included more vendors than typical, Peterson says, and many wanted to provide hands-on activities for the students. Many students came away with tin and metal toolboxes and miniature sawhorses they built at the event, along with hard hats, safety vests, beanies, and loads of stickers and informational materials.

While Peterson acknowledged that not all students who attended are likely to go into trades, if the event prompts one in ten to consider a construction career, it’s a win.