More than 1500 Students to Touch the Trades at Build my Future in April

More than 40 area high schools will bring approximately 1500 high school students to the Onalaska Omni Center April 30. This is the third year of showcasing hands-on jobs for the La Crosse Area Builders Associations (LABA). It’s called Build My Future.

LABA Executive Director Tena Bailey and Committee Chair Becky Dagendesh with Beaver Builders Supply joined La Crosse Talk to tell companies, sponsors, and parents can support the students attending this event.

One small schools has found this event so effective, they are sending the entire school.

Degendesh described students pouring concrete, operating small machinery, and other hands-on experiences.

Bailey said some students leave with applications and companies recruit for their summer work crews at this event.

La Crosse Talk airs weekdays at 6-8 a.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here, or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Find all the podcasts here or subscribe to La Crosse Talk PM wherever you get your podcasts.

While, ideally, the Builders Association wants everyone to pursue jobs in residential housing because that’s the industry their membership represents, Bailey realizes that they cannot operate without mechanics to fix their trucks and equipment. Plus it’s important to just allow students not wanting “desk jobs” to find a pathway so LABA includes manufacturers such as Duratech and Chart.

Parents and grandparents wanting students to attend should be sure to work with their high school guidance counselors. There are buses that take students from school to the Omni Center on April 30.

The Builders Association will also take sponsors and volunteers that day.

You can learn more about the event at https://www.labaonline.com/build-my-future/