Highways

HONOLULU – The 14th annual Hawai‘i Construction and Career Days event is back following a 2-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic! The state Department of Transportation (DOT) is proud to be a co-sponsor for this event that will take place on September 29^th and 30^th from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Aloha Stadium, lower Halawa lot.

Construction Career Days offers our middle and high school students a practical and valuable firsthand look at a career and educational opportunities available in Hawai‘i’s construction industry. The event is part of the Administration’s workforce development efforts to prepare Hawai‘i students for future careers.

“This is a chance for our department to give back to the community,” says Ed Sniffen, deputy director for the Highways Division of the DOT.  “We have the opportunity to show our young people the wide range of jobs available in the construction field from accountants to engineers, from inspectors to heavy-machine operators.  We can reach out to our future leaders to keep Hawaii’s construction industry thriving and strong,” Sniffen adds. “We would like to especially thank the Federal Highway Administration for funding this event, the corporate and union sponsors, and the many volunteers that spent a lot of time planning this event for the students.”

Students will be provided with safety gear in a backpack filled with a hard hat, safety goggles, and earplugs to be worn as they navigate through the event areas. They will have the opportunity to operate heavy equipment under close supervision and learn about various construction fields through hands on activities.

The “Trades” area will feature representatives from: carpenters, painters, electricians, laborers, sheet metal workers, masons, operating engineers, plumbers, and roofers.

In the “Heavy Equipment” area, students will have the opportunity to operate an excavator, or a crane simulator, ride a scissors lift and other pieces of specialized equipment.

Throughout the day, students may visit various booths with information on educational opportunities in the construction field as well as learn about career paths from industry representatives. Also, the University of Hawaii College of Engineering and the Honolulu Community College are participating at this year’s event.

“If you need an auxiliary aid/service, second language interpretation or other accommodation due to a disability or language, contact Daniel Williams at 808-831-7914 or [email protected] as soon as possible. Requests made as early as possible will allow adequate time to fulfill your request. Upon request, this notice is available in alternate formats such as large print, Braille, languages aside from English or electronic copy.”

For more information, please contact Jai Cunningham at the Public Affairs Office at (808) 587-2160.

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