The whir of power tools fills the air as Indiana seventh graders gather around a half-built playhouse and take turns learning basic construction skills.
Builders Association of Elkhart County (BAEC) members guide the work and introduce students to the trades as groups rotate in and out of the project.

This experience is part of
Career Quest, an annual countywide event that introduces students to in-demand career pathways. It’s also one of many ways the BAEC promotes careers in construction to local middle and high school students. As groups move to other stations, like healthcare and IT management, new students jump in at the playhouse and continue the build.

“It’s organized chaos,” said Kelly Barr, executive director of BAEC’s
Build Your Future Foundation. “But it’s getting in front of the kids at a younger age to talk about the trades and the opportunities they could have. We want to show them the careers they could have if college isn’t for them.”

That mission took shape about four years ago when the BAEC launched its Build Your Future committee to oversee all workforce development efforts. The organization adapted the
Build Your Future Indiana
program, an offshoot of the
national NCCER initiative, and now has partnerships with nearby schools and the five local Boys & Girls Clubs.

“We’ve grown and just burst at the seams with this concept,” she said. “The members on the committee have really taken a hold of it.”

Beyond Career Quest, BAEC members lead four activities per year with the Boys & Girls Clubs to highlight different aspects of the industry, including building cornhole boards and once bringing a concrete truck on-site. Barr said the groups typically include about 20 students, who are always excited to work with the members, especially as their relationships continue to grow.

BAEC members bring the same enthusiasm into nearby schools. Members often perform mock interviews with high schoolers, participate in career fairs and support Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes however they can. When a local high school CTE class built a tiny home last year, members stepped in to find a water heater small enough to fit.

“Our committee is so strong because they feed off the kids’ energy,” Barr said. “They want to help and come back again.”

Now, the BAEC is looking to expand its programming even further, beginning with an inaugural construction camp in June. Twenty ninth- and 10th-grade students will spend a full day on-site with hands-on activities, guest speakers and visits to multiple Parade of Homes sites to talk directly with the builders.

For Barr, it’s all part of the same mission to connect students with potential career paths that sometimes begins with a playhouse and a room full of seventh graders.

“I think it’s important to educate them about what’s out there and the opportunities available,” Barr said. “The more we get in front of them and talk to them, the more it sticks.”

Are you interested in becoming more involved with local workforce development efforts? Join an upcoming
Workforce Development Advisory Council meeting to learn how to guide programs and support new initiatives.