ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — 5 On Your Side got an inside look at a program that's helping prepare young people for a future in construction.
Construction firm Clayco developed the Construction Career Development Initiative (CCDI) following the Ferguson unrest a decade ago. It gives minority and under-represented high school students a chance for career development in construction.
Dan Lester, Vice President of Field Culture and Inclusion with Clayco, said the hands-on experience for students makes an everlasting impact.
"These students are coming out learning real life skills that they can go and take anywhere in the world and have a career in construction," he said.
Between the hammering and the sawing, 50 high school students from across north St. Louis County got their hands dirty Saturday at North Tech High School. Lester said the workshops gives them a peek into what a future in construction would look and feel like.
"We get a chance to come and show these students those careers and they get a chance to get taught by students that were in their shoes, some of them just a few years ago," he said.
One of those students turned mentors is D'Von Johnson. Just five years ago, Johnson was going through CCDI.
"CCDI did a lot for me. It molded me into the person I am today. It wasn't really a whole lot of you need to bump your head, we actually had pretty much all the tools and resources we needed to be successful, so you learn from other people's mistakes," he said.
The program molded Johnson into an entrepreneur. He opened up his painting business, D. Johnson Painting, in 2021 thanks to help and mentorship from CCDI.
"It was definitely a blessing. It's very hard to start a construction company, so with the fact that I'm 23 years old right now and I started a commercial union painting company, it speaks volumes," he said.
Students learn everything in the workshops from painting to pipe fitting to project engineering. They also can participate demonstrations on carpentry, floor laying, cement masons and project management.
Lester said that's vital because in construction with one of every five people that are leaving or retiring, only one person is coming into the field.
"It's important to have this in the community of St. Louis because there's so much that we have to offer the community," he said.
According to Lester, since the program started in 2015, they've seen it grow from around 10 students to 150 students.
"We're really trying to make sure that we are stimulating new growth and new excitement of recruitment into the industry," he said.
That's creating excitement from students like Taylor Brown.
"I am still exploring. I really like electrical, but I just like hands on work in general," she said.
The 16-year-old is already learning key knowledge about a possible future in the industry.
"You really have to work as a team and you have to be willing to compromise, if stuff doesn't go right," Brown said.
It's those lessons that Johnson already learned in the program, that instilled in him a sense of honor and drive to share his story, in hopes of helping shape the future of this field.
"I want to be that beacon of light within the community to show them it's possible. We need more people to come back and show them it's possible to get out of poverty, just like I did," he said.
Lester said CCDI does seven of these hands-on workshops a year. If students are interested in joining, they can learn more here.
According to press release, since the start of CCDI, it has assisted 175 people will full-time employment trades, awarded more than $650 thousand in scholarships to 74 St. Louis area students and placed 73 students into paid high-school and college internships.