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Michael Daniels, dean of business and technology for Western Piedmont Community College, said the college had about eight to 10 high schools from four or five surrounding counties at its Construction Rodeo on Wednesday. It was the biggest rodeo since the college opened its Regional Skilled Trades Solution Center on the Â鶹´«Ã½ campus.

“I’ve been in Burke County for about 28 years, and it’s a great place to be, but Burke County, just like all regions in the country, have had a real problem getting people to go into the trades and fill those trades jobs,� Daniels said. “I think people are starting to realize how critical the trades are, and so for Burke County to remain a vibrant community, we have to have people in the trades.�

The Construction Rodeo has been happening for about six years as a way to teach high schoolers about the opportunities available to them in the trades.

Joshua Hess, a senior at East Burke High School, was competing in the rodeo Wednesday. He’s been taking construction classes each year of high school, and he’s currently taking a carpentry class at the school.

“We’ve built wheelchair ramps for people that needed, built ramps for churches,� Hess said. “Right now, I’m working on a birdhouse for Mother’s Day, maybe.�

Hess said he plans to go to Western Piedmont after high school, then transfer to Western Carolina University to get a degree in construction management. If college isn’t a good fit, he said he’s going to get some heavy equipment certifications and possibly go work on a pipeline.

“I get tired of the day-to-day, boring classes,� Hess said. “I just sit through class and they’re just throwing words at me at some point. This is what I want to do. I mean, I’m a smart kid, I’m in AP classes, but I like hands-on learning, and I’m more interested in going into the trades than I am any desk job.�

Evan Gragg at ServPro and 1-Tom-Plumber said programs like the Construction Rodeo are needed to keep the trades going.

“Being in this industry a lot, especially when we’re hiring subcontractors and things on the repair side, the majority of the subcontractors, I believe, are in the 50 to 55 range, so they are kind of aging out,� Gragg said. “With the amount that are retiring each year, I don’t believe that we’re replacing those within different industries, whether it be electricians, plumbers, HVAC, any of that. I think this greatly shows kids that there’s other routes than just going to the four-year college deal.�

The rodeo not only gives kids a look at the trades in general, but also all of the different specific paths available to them by interacting with different sponsors and vendors at the event, said Kayla Noon, computer assisted design specialist at Smart Electric.

“When you talk to the kids that come up, some of them don’t know the options,� Noon said. “Even in electrical, like we’re specifically industrial, so even just opening them up to the idea of some of these different trades and the different options within the trades, I think it’s beneficial. I studied interior design in college, I’m working in electrical. Nobody told me this was an option, and I absolutely love the 3D modeling that I do.�

Joshua Catterton, a senior at Patton High School in Morganton, said he’s been taking classes since he started at Patton, but he’s been working in skilled trades since he was about 12 years old.

“This is a very strong passion of mine,� Catterton said. “I love building. I love seeing something I’ve built. I used to build floors, like set flooring (for plays), and every time I was done, it was like you just lay on it and it feels amazing to have something that you built.�

Catterton, who also is passionate about theater, said he may not pursue a career in building, but his knowledge of the trades could help him find work in theater settings because he’d be able to help build sets.

“Everything here is really good experience, and if you do get a job (in a skilled trade) this is something you can put on an application,� Catterton said.