The past few years have brought many challenges for employers, one of which is having enough employees to get the job done. And in the field of asphalt and pavement, not just any employee will do. Having the right employee with the right skills is important.
Experts agree that the Great Resignation is behind us. However, many employers are finding a lack of qualified candidates, putting increased pressure on fine-tuning their recruiting, retention, and employee engagement strategies and programs in the year ahead.
UAPA understands this issue and is doing its part to ensure that a steady stream of qualified employees are lined up for business in the industry. To accomplish this, UAPA has teamed up with school districts throughout the region. Through the Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, students have the opportunity to learn more about the industry and engage with you, the employer.
The relationships that these programs build with the business community bridge the needs of employers and the development of students as future workers. Studies have shown that 94% of CTE high school students graduate ready to start a career and continue their education. In short, the workforce of tomorrow already exists. How exciting is that?
We recently had the opportunity to talk with Angie Pommerening with the Jordan School District and discuss more about their CTE program and what is happening there.
Angie explained that the district uses a program called YouScience® to help students discover their natural aptitudes and make the connection between what they’re learning and the career and educational aspirations of tomorrow. The students take the YouScience® assessment test in 7th and 9th grade to help determine good career matches in different industries and then the students are introduced to those industries through a number of school and industry events.
Recently, UAPA hosted a couple of small groups of CTE leaders and toured the Staker Parson asphalt plant in Ogden and the Geneva Rock quarry at the point of the mountain. These types of interactions help students gain direction on future careers and allow employers to meet potential employees. It’s a win-win. The tours will resume in January 2024.
Once a student has identified a field of interest, the CTE program creates a pathway and gives them a roadmap of where they can go and what classes they need to start taking. Because of the great success of this program, Jordan CTE is excited to be adding a construction management pathway starting in the upcoming school year. This is in addition to the welding, diesel engineering mechanic, automotive and carpentry pathways, which are already established. There are additional non-construction pathways in place as well.
Relationships with the local companies are vital for the success of this program. As the students near graduation, the hope is that through tours and events, connections with employers have been made.
The door is open for the business community to start engaging with these bright students. There are a number of events that will be taking place in the next few months, and businesses are encouraged to get involved and get to know tomorrow’s workforce. Here is a list of a few:
February 27-28
2024 Utah Asphalt Conference: UAPA will be hosting 200 CTE students from the state of Utah at the annual conference held at the Mountain America Expo Center.
Students come ready to learn about the industry and explore possible career paths.
April 22-23, 2024
Skills and Trade Night: We are hosting this event two nights in a row. West Jordan High School will host on April 22, and Riverton High School will host on April 23.
The goal is to get students who are not headed to a traditional university track and are looking for other viable options to meet with businesses and be exposed to a variety of career paths.
February 2025
Pathways to Professions: Held at the Mountain America Expo Center. This event is open to industry partners and businesses from all over the valley. This past year, we had approximately 4,600 juniors and seniors attend.
The idea is to introduce students to different careers.
To get involved in these events and meet your future star employees, please contact Angie at angie.pommerening@jordandistrict.org.
