Students at Holdeman and Thew elementary schools got hands-on experience exploring the construction industry through activities hosted by Mortenson.
Third-graders at both schools rotated through three activity zones: estimating, design phase and virtual design, and safety.
“We want to show them that construction comes in all shapes and sizes,” said Maia Hoelzinger, design phase manager for Mortenson. “We know they might not see what it’s like to be in the construction industry and they don’t necessarily get to see … all of the different careers that come with construction.”
At the estimator station, students used legos to build a structure, then counted how many legos were used. Each lego was assigned a different cost value. Together, the students and Mortenson volunteers calculated an estimate of how much their structure would cost to build.
At the design phase and virtual design station, students wore VR headsets that showed images of the newly built ASU hockey arena, a project Mortenson worked on. Students viewed a variety of perspectives of the arena, including the locker room and standing on center ice.
The safety station showed students the importance of wearing proper protection while on a construction site and while using heavy equipment.
“This is an experience for kids to experience the world of work,” said Wraparound Services Director Michele Grimaldi. “Not only are we developing workforce development, we’re giving kids an opportunity to work with their hands.”
Partnerships like this allow students to explore career opportunities at an early age.
“It is so important for these kids to see people from the community and jobs from the community right here in Tempe so they can visualize themselves doing these jobs later in life,” Grimaldi said. “Hopefully we’re planting some seeds for the future.”
Original source can be found here.
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