Welcome to another episode of The Spotlight, a special segment inside the Grit NW Podcast where we acknowledge those programs that promote the visibility of blue-collar jobs in the commercial construction industry as a first-choice career alternative to the oversold notion that the only way to financial and professional success and security is with a college degree.

On today’s show we will talk about Career Connections, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters program designed to fill the void left by the removal of shop class in many high school’s and middle schools’ curriculum.  

To help us understand this valuable and increasingly important connection to the craft skills needed to build and maintain our nation’s infrastructure and wealth, we have Meg Kilmer from the Pacific Northwest Carpenters Institute, and Riley McCauley from the Northwest Carpenters Union. 

We’ll start our conversation by learning what the Career Connections program is and how the UBC designed it to meet the ever-increasing demand for the skilled workforce of tomorrow.

Next, we will look into how easily the curriculum can be adopted by schools without an established vocational education program, to inspire their students to develop the life skills needed to be successful, regardless of what career path they choose.

We will then discuss the merit’s of working with your hands and how the challenges of construction not only test you physically but cognitively as well as when doing complex layout, measurements, and design/build projects.

Later we will look at how a Career Connections certification can fast track your entry into a pre-apprentice program and what it means to have tangible results upon completion of the course.

And we will wrap up our discussion where you can find out more about Career Connections and how you or someone you know can find a satisfying, and financially rewarding career as a professional carpenter.

The Show Notes

UBC Career Connections Program Information
https://www.citfcareerconnections.org/program-overview

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