Demo Day Introduces High Schoolers to Heavy Machinery
Organizers hoped that getting the students some hands-on experience with equipment like skid steers would inspire them to maybe pursue careers in construction.
WEST FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – High school students received the chance today to see if the construction industry might be the right fit for them – or, at least, they got to play around with some real heavy-duty equipment.
May 14 was the annual Demo Day at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds.
The event is organized by the North Dakota Construction Leadership Committee, who want to give teens the chance to work with some of the most common machines in the profession.
Those include dozers, cranes, and excavators – as well as developing technology like drones.
Event organizers say the reactions they see when the students get behind the controls for the first time makes the whole outing worthwhile.
“It’s awesome. I love this event,” said Nathan Goulet. “It makes my day when you get to see a high school student that hasn’t experienced some of this equipment, like a skid steer, excavator – any of the other big pieces of equipment, like the crane we have out there – and you just kind of see their face brighten up.”
Industry professionals were also on-hand to answer any questions participants might have, ranging from questions about the machines themselves to inquiries about how to get started in construction as a career.
