LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Local students are getting their hands dirty with Tuttle Construction to prepare for the workforce.
22 students from Vantage Career Center in Van Wert, along with their instructors, joined the team at Tuttle Construction for their annual High School Career Day. The students go through different stations, getting hands-on experience with different aspects of construction work. Some students have already declared a specific skill set, but by working through some stations, they can become more well-rounded.
Tuttle has partnered with local trade schools like Vantage and Apollo, as well as Lima Senior, to enhance learning for construction students and help them make long-lasting connections once they enter the workforce.
"These kids, I feel they, the instructors at these schools, Vantage here, do a real good job setting them up for coming out into the real world, but they do a little bit different coming to see what we actually do. It's nice; they get to drive by and see what we're doing, but now they actually get to put hands on it, and we can also discuss some of the union benefits that come along with the projects," said Kory Maag, general superintendent at Tuttle Construction.
"I got to weld. I welded a little bit, but I'm not great at it, but that was fun. The beams and pillars, getting to attach that and working with the forklift and whatnot. Tying the rebar that was actually pretty fun, and we got to do a race, so they make it fun here. You get to do the skills they do on a regular basis, and if that's something you wanna do, then you get more experience with it, you know?" commented Cody Ricker, a junior carpentry student at Vantage Career Center.
The High School Career Day at Tuttle has been going on for over five years, and on Thursday, Tuttle will be hosting Lima Senior's construction students.
