Hood River Valley High School commands a hill high above Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge, about 60 miles east of Portland. The school’s surrounding county of 23,000 historically has drawn much of its wealth from wood, first from logging and now from the fruit trees that cover the rolling slopes. I went there last month hoping to persuade some students that their future could involve wood in a different way.
I had come to the school’s wood shop to present a $500 check on behalf of Tum-A-Lum Lumber, which had won a prize from a sister publication of REMODELING for its newly revamped store in town. Tum-A-Lum’s branch manager, owner, and I used the opportunity to tell the class that they could build a great career in construction even if they decide against going to college. I said the pay is good, and there are lots of opportunities to do things that interest them, be it solving problems, designing beautiful stuff, or leading teams. Here's a video about our visit.
In a county with a 10% poverty rate, I think my points might have hit home. But those of you with kids know it can take a while before you can tell whether a message has sunk in.
Results of an NAHB survey last November of 2,001 young adults between 18 and 25 years old suggest we’re going to need to do a lot of talking before kids will consider working in construction. In that group, 74% said they already know the field in which they want to have a career, and just 3% of them picked construction.
When the NAHB asked the 26% of youths who were undecided whether they’d consider construction, 63% gave those prospects a score of just 1 or 2 on a 5-point scale. And of the group that said there was little to no chance they’d choose construction, 43% said you couldn’t pay them enough to consider the profession. That’s the challenge before us, folks.
After the speeches, we went into the shop and watched the students work on projects. These weren’t just slapdash, nailed-together pieces; instructor Nita Bozarth made a point of teaching joinery. She says that if they only remember to measure twice and cut once, they’ll have learned a vital lesson. I’m hoping some of them will discover their life’s path.
