Building Trades Week 2022 Provides Virtual Career Exploration Opportunities
The South Bend Regional Chamber, in partnership with the Greater Niles Chamber and Michigan Works!, brings together industry and educators, including premier sponsor St. Joseph Valley Building Trades and presenting sponsors MACIAF (Michiana Area Construction Industry Advancement Fund) and NECA (National Electrical Contractors Association), during BLDG Trades Week, a weeklong virtual spotlight on high-demand building and construction trades career opportunities in the region.
The digital format extends the reach of this program beyond one week–and to more students, educators, parents, and community members. The 2021 event connected 1,500+ students from two states, four counties and nine districts to 33 industry and education partners–and the BLDG Trades Week 2021 landing page has had 4,400+ page views to date.
BLDG Trades Week 2022 activities kicked off last week (Jan. 24-28), when the landing page went live with these digital resources:
• Business Directory – Learn about building and construction-related businesses and training partners in the region: who they are, what they build, and the opportunities they offer – from certifications and apprenticeship programs to entry-level jobs and management roles.
• Career Pathway Pages – Explore the wide variety of building trades-related careers, current openings, projected job growth, important skills to develop, and education/training requirements.
• Industry Videos – View these videos to see building trades in action. Students can get a better understanding of the featured business or training/education partner, their culture, and available jobs/career pathways.
• Educator Resources – Provides hot links and ideas on how to introduce and integrate building trades into classroom learning and a customizable presentation is also available.
Last week, we brought students, businesses, and community members who work in building trades together, virtually, through six, 30-minute Industry Chats. The sessions can now be viewed any time and accessed by going to the landing page.
“The Chamber is excited to build student and community awareness of skilled trades careers, as well as the wide variety of construction-related roles – estimators, project managers, property maintenance, architecture, and engineering – there are many career options,” says South Bend Regional Chamber President & CEO Jeff Rea. “As our region continues to grow, individuals with these skill sets will play key roles in building our infrastructure, from roads and housing to the expansion and updates of our utilities. We look forward to finding new ways to increase collaboration between business and education in our region and are proud to serve as a connector and leader of initiatives like BLDG Trades Week.”