PROMOTING CONSTRUCTION CAREERS.

Encouraging support for job shadowing by high schoolers can be especially challenging in an industry where safety and legal issues pose special concerns. To overcome this potential obstacle to participation in Groundhog Job Shadow Day 2000, the California Coalition for Construction in the Classroom (CCCC), Sacramento, a federation of 20 trade associations, embarked on a two-pronged strategy:

1. Develop an eight-page, industry-specific, how-to booklet to give members practical ideas on possible activities (e.g., demonstrating the tools of the trade, creating a display of the types of material used).

2. Provide counseling to members on how to set up a job-shadowing program, coordinate logistics, and conduct media outreach.

As a result of these efforts, 16 California construction associations participated in job shadowing. In Sacramento alone, 75 students participated in shadowing sponsored by four local associations. For example, job shadow activities of the Capital City Chapter of the American Sub-contractors Association included an onsite tour of the baseball field being constructed for the Sacramento River Cats, a minor-league AAA team.

CCCC is in the process of updating its user's guide, which will be posted on its Web site at www.constructcareers.org. It also plans to hold regional seminars in July to promote job shadowing as well as give serious consideration to expanding its efforts to include a "California Construction Career Day" in October, followed by Groundhog Job Shadow Day in February.