Dozer Days give valuable insight into the building industry to students of all ages

November 14, 2023

With events now in Puyallup, Yakima and Vancouver, Dozer Day gives kids the ultimate construction experience by inviting close contact with heavy construction equipment, public safety vehicles, recycling trucks and more. Its goal is to educate people of all ages about building sustainable communities, industry career opportunities, and public safety.

The first “Dozer Day” was held in Wisconsin as a benefit for local schools. In 2008, the Nutter Foundation acquired the rights to Dozer Day and trademarked the event. To date, Dozer Day events across the country have given back more than $2.3 million to charities that benefit youth and workforce development activities in the construction industry. Dozer Day is now shared with partners throughout the United States.

Dozer Day Career Fair, Clark County

The Building Industry Association of Clark County (BIACC) and their workforce development foundation, the Building Futures Foundation, hosted the Dozer Day Career Fair in conjunction with the popular Dozer Day event, Oct. 7-8 at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Ridgefield.

Event organizers Renee Nutter, Aimee Gebarowski, and Jon Girod invited juniors and seniors from Clark County School District to meet with local companies in the building and construction industry. Hundreds of students attended to engage with local builders, construction crews and remodelers, gaining valuable insight into the building industry.

Students gained hands-on experience by operating heavy machinery with the assistance of qualified machine-operator volunteers. They also learned about local projects, participated in mock interviews, and scheduled interviews with companies.

Since 2007, the Building Futures Foundation has awarded 121 scholarships and tool grants, representing a total investment of $214,250 in construction careers. To learn more about the Building Futures Foundation and to donate, visit biaofclarkcounty.org/building-futures-foundation.

To learn more about bringing Dozer Day to your local community, visit dozerday.org

 

* This article was originally published in the October 2023 issue of Building Insight magazine.