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Buckner Steel Day Draws more than 250 Students, Teachers Buckner Companies, Graham, N.C., hosted more than 250 students, teachers and steel industry stakeholders at its company headquarters on September 19—which is more than double that attended in 2013. Each year the American Institute of Steel Construction sponsors Steel Day, which is hosted by its members and partners nationwide. Buckner’s open house is designed to show how area high schools and universities how structural steel contributes to building America. “The average age of a construction worker in the United States is 40,” said Kevin Leonard, Buckner Training Directors. “. “We are looking for hardworking young people who are excited by the opportunities in the industry.” Buckner’s Steel Day focus is on craft training opportunities, a passion Eddie Williams, Buckner Chairman, has for getting students interested in craft training and careers in construction. "Our nation's craft workers are aging out,” said Mr. William. “We must do more to attract young people - male and female - to our industry by showing students, parents and school counsellors the many opportunities available in steel and construction." This year at Buckner, students witnessed crane and boom lift demos, interacted with NASCAR driver David Starr and stood around tables fashioned from sections of crane boom for a local BBQ lunch. David Starr recounted his personal story of how learning a trade opened doors for him, a kid who was never that great at school, to become a NASCAR driver. “My dad worked on cars for a living so I grew up being at the racetrack all the time.” When David started to build his own cars, his dad would give him advice, David said, but never do the work for him. “If you want something bad enough, you have to go work for it. [My dad] taught me that life lesson and he taught me the trade of working on cars.” Those skills allowed Starr to arrive at where he is now, and will give him the opportunity to do work that he loves when his racing career is over, he said. Tim Bradshaw from AISC also spoke to the students about career opportunities in the industry, a perfect segue into Buckner Training Director Kevin Leonard’s quick info session on Buckner’s apprenticeship program, where he shared Buckner’s approach to craft training. “Our apprenticeship program allows someone with virtually no construction experience to reach a journeyman ironworker’s position in only three years,” he said. Greg Adams, a structural engineering and mechanics graduate student at North Carolina State University and part-time civil design engineer at Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant in New Hill, NC., commented on the experience: “I learned more about the process of building both usual and large structures, and found it very exciting to then attend a demonstration of the use of a crane…Steel Day continues the education of all participants and, with the event I attended, helps to recruit the next generation of engineers and tradesmen into the steel industry.” A group of 35 students from Floyd, Va., attended the event from the furthest distance, making a six-hour roundtrip to Buckner from Floyd County High School. Floyd County’s Superintendent Daniel Boyd has supported Buckner’s welding program for many years. Last year, FCHS’s welding program graduated 32 students, about 50% of which are working as welders, some at Buckner. Alongside their instructor, the students of the welding program at FCHS have worked hard over the past year to establish an AWS chapter at the school, the second in Virginia. Steel Day provided these students a glimpse of how the skills they’re learning are used in the industry. FCHS’s welding class complements Buckner’s Apprenticeship Program in getting young people excited about craft training. Buckner looks forward to growing their relationship with the program, and so does Superintendent Boyd: “I think it’s good for kids in such a rural area to have a chance like this. I stop through whenever I can to say hi – I like to be able to help out in my own hometown.” Building the Future “Attending college is a great option for some kids, but isn’t going to be the right choice for everybody, whether for financial or personal reasons,” said Training Director Leonard. “Ironwork is exciting and rewarding. It’s no wonder more young people are looking to opportunities in craft training following their high school graduation.” Through the help of partners like AISC, SEAA, AGC, ABC and ASA, an excitement for building America’s future through careers in the steel industry is just what Buckner hopes to convey each year on Steel Day. See more photos of Buckner’s Steel Day activities here.
Buckner Steel Day Draws more than 250 Students, Teachers
Buckner Companies, Graham, N.C., hosted more than 250 students, teachers and steel industry stakeholders at its company headquarters on September 19—which is more than double that attended in 2013. Each year the American Institute of Steel Construction sponsors Steel Day, which is hosted by its members and partners nationwide. Buckner’s open house is designed to show how area high schools and universities how structural steel contributes to building America. “The average age of a construction worker in the United States is 40,” said Kevin Leonard, Buckner Training Directors. “. “We are looking for hardworking young people who are excited by the opportunities in the industry.” Buckner’s Steel Day focus is on craft training opportunities, a passion Eddie Williams, Buckner Chairman, has for getting students interested in craft training and careers in construction. "Our nation's craft workers are aging out,” said Mr. William. “We must do more to attract young people - male and female - to our industry by showing students, parents and school counsellors the many opportunities available in steel and construction." This year at Buckner, students witnessed crane and boom lift demos, interacted with NASCAR driver David Starr and stood around tables fashioned from sections of crane boom for a local BBQ lunch. David Starr recounted his personal story of how learning a trade opened doors for him, a kid who was never that great at school, to become a NASCAR driver. “My dad worked on cars for a living so I grew up being at the racetrack all the time.” When David started to build his own cars, his dad would give him advice, David said, but never do the work for him. “If you want something bad enough, you have to go work for it. [My dad] taught me that life lesson and he taught me the trade of working on cars.” Those skills allowed Starr to arrive at where he is now, and will give him the opportunity to do work that he loves when his racing career is over, he said.
Tim Bradshaw from AISC also spoke to the students about career opportunities in the industry, a perfect segue into Buckner Training Director Kevin Leonard’s quick info session on Buckner’s apprenticeship program, where he shared Buckner’s approach to craft training. “Our apprenticeship program allows someone with virtually no construction experience to reach a journeyman ironworker’s position in only three years,” he said.
Greg Adams, a structural engineering and mechanics graduate student at North Carolina State University and part-time civil design engineer at Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant in New Hill, NC., commented on the experience: “I learned more about the process of building both usual and large structures, and found it very exciting to then attend a demonstration of the use of a crane…Steel Day continues the education of all participants and, with the event I attended, helps to recruit the next generation of engineers and tradesmen into the steel industry.”
A group of 35 students from Floyd, Va., attended the event from the furthest distance, making a six-hour roundtrip to Buckner from Floyd County High School. Floyd County’s Superintendent Daniel Boyd has supported Buckner’s welding program for many years. Last year, FCHS’s welding program graduated 32 students, about 50% of which are working as welders, some at Buckner. Alongside their instructor, the students of the welding program at FCHS have worked hard over the past year to establish an AWS chapter at the school, the second in Virginia.
Steel Day provided these students a glimpse of how the skills they’re learning are used in the industry. FCHS’s welding class complements Buckner’s Apprenticeship Program in getting young people excited about craft training. Buckner looks forward to growing their relationship with the program, and so does Superintendent Boyd: “I think it’s good for kids in such a rural area to have a chance like this. I stop through whenever I can to say hi – I like to be able to help out in my own hometown.” Building the Future “Attending college is a great option for some kids, but isn’t going to be the right choice for everybody, whether for financial or personal reasons,” said Training Director Leonard. “Ironwork is exciting and rewarding. It’s no wonder more young people are looking to opportunities in craft training following their high school graduation.” Through the help of partners like AISC, SEAA, AGC, ABC and ASA, an excitement for building America’s future through careers in the steel industry is just what Buckner hopes to convey each year on Steel Day. See more photos of Buckner’s Steel Day activities here.