Did Our Imagination Die in the Classroom?

Are conflicting standards in classrooms crushing dreams in the construction industry? Women are feeling the challenge as they try to bridge the gap where this whole decline started decades ago. When we do not market our industry, or limit student involvement, we get a workforce where 45% is 45 and older, with the majority being male. During Women in Construction Week, the team at RHK Construction pushed for union and university banners to hang side by side in high school hallways.

How can students be educated, engaged, and eager to join the trades if we do not market the industry like we do for universities? Where is the photography that lines the hallways, the banners and media that highlight trade-focused electives at local high schools? Where are the posts that highlight students signing contracts with union halls and trade leaders of the industry?

During the weeks leading up to Women in Construction Week, the owners at RHK Construction realized certain CAD classes were becoming stagnant and some students were unable to take building trades classes, as their schedules did not match up for transportation services. These students remain on the sidelines, watching new sport collaborations take place and apprenticeships for teachers to be educated and employed within school districts. Why do we make students wait until age 18 to start apprenticeships in America? Halfway around the world, apprenticeships are available for students at age 16 in the United Kingdom.

Imagine a start-up program around preventative and deferred maintenance as the base for the next high school trades program. This would give students the exposure and experience they need to be hired or sponsored after their high school graduation. For the next generation, being able to imagine a different kind of education and experience is crucial. As Albert Einstein once said, “Logic will get you from A to B, imagination will take you everywhere.”

For more information, please contact:

RHK Construction, Inc.

219 West Galena Blvd.

Aurora, IL 60506

Ph: (331) 212-5158

rhkconstructioninc.com