The University of Notre Dame recently welcomed more than 800 high school students and educators from 17 local schools for its first ever Building Trades Day. The event aimed to connect students with employers, provide insights into educational pathways in the skilled trades, and highlight career opportunities in South Bend's construction industry.
Over 60 employers and training partners participated, offering hands-on activities and tours of active construction projects on campus, Notre Dame reports.
The event was an opportunity for students to meet local employers, explore trades education and career opportunities in the greater South Bend community, and see how their classroom learning can build a foundation for future success. This comes at a critical time for the industry, according to Sr. Director of Construction and Quality Assurance Tony Polotto.
"The construction industry has suffered from more than a 30-year decline with a severe depletion of contractors and manpower to meet the current construction needs across the country," Polotto said. "We were able to utilize the Notre Dame brand and size of construction projects/programs to generate interest from the contractors and schools to make it an eventful day for anyone exploring a career in construction.”