HELENA — On Monday a collaboration between Helena Chamber of Commerce, Helena School District, and different local construction businesses created an environment for students to get hands-on experience in construction fields.
Connor Prendergast, an organizer of the event says, “We want to inspire students and help them earn an opportunity to come into this trade and make a career out of it.”
Diggers Days is an all-day event for high school students in Helena. The students are divided into groups and spend an hour at each station. Stations include driving heavy machinery, laying pavers, and framing.
This year’s event introduced around 150 students to the industry and was open to all.
“Everyone in school had access to sign up, so it is not just shop classes, but anybody who wanted to come out here, ” Prendergast says.
Construction is a very male-dominated industry, having women make up just around 11 percent. Digger Days promotes the inclusivity of women in such trades and breaking the industry’s gender norms.
Prendergast says, "Every female has an opportunity to do everything we are doing and there’s no limitations to it. Gender doesn’t matter.”
The combination of 70 volunteers and the community support that allowed the event to happen is something organizers are thankful for. Through the training of the students, employers hope the support can be returned.
“We have a shortage of people in the trades. Everyone is hurting for help and everyone is hurting to find good people, so our goal is to reach these young people and show them the value of what we do. Then we can actually fulfill the needs of the community to get the work done,” Prendergast says.
