Blog
Laying the Foundation: Celebrating Youth Apprentices and Their Mentors
Allison Knautz, Workforce Development Manager
Who doesn鈥檛 love a good celebration? At 吃瓜爆料, Signing Days have become a bit of a tradition in early summer, welcoming families, trade partners, employees, school staff and even state representatives to support individuals pursuing careers in construction. But as I looked out over the crowd at last year鈥檚 event, something struck me. Many of the people who spent most of the time mentoring these students weren鈥檛 there. It wasn鈥檛 for lack of invitation, but the demands of jobsite schedules had them elsewhere.
While I could stand at a podium and celebrate the journey students were about to embark on, the reality is, I鈥檓 not their mentor. The mentors working with the students day to day to instill the love of construction were missing. This year, we set out to do things a little differently!
We still held a Signing Day in Cloquet, Minn. to recognize our very first youth apprentice transitioning to registered apprenticeship, but we also brought the celebration to our jobsites. Nine project teams across Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois received lunches in honor of the 13 students they supported during fall 2024 through spring 2025 school year.
We invited the parents, school staff and trade partners to join several of the jobsite lunches. The intention was for parents to be immersed in their child鈥檚 world. It鈥檚 one thing to hear about laying block. It鈥檚 another to stand beside your child as they show you what they鈥檝e built.
And from Sara Weyers, parent of a 1st year youth apprentice, Mason:聽
鈥淢y son gained valuable experience in masonry, carpentry and other scopes of work while working for 吃瓜爆料. He learned how to use various tools and equipment that were permitted, and he also developed skills in working with different kinds of people鈥攁n asset for his future career. One of the highlights of his experience was helping to build an elementary school, which gave him a sense of pride and accomplishment. As a parent, I also learned more about the wide range of trades that are available and gained a greater appreciation for the many different opportunities the trades can offer.鈥澛�
As Youth Apprenticeship Coordinator Lisa Breaker from CESA6 shared:
鈥淧arker and Hunter gave an excellent tour, and I loved hearing more about their experiences. They shared that the people/team at 吃瓜爆料 are what have made their experience as a Youth Apprentice so instrumental in helping them shape their future.鈥�
As 吃瓜爆料鈥檚 workforce development manager, this program has impacted me as well. I鈥檝e had the opportunity to learn from superintendents, foremen, journeymen and project managers鈥攑eople whose leadership challenges and inspires me. They鈥檝e influenced how I see projects, approach attracting and recruiting for the workforce and understand mental health in construction 鈥� and is one of the reasons this program continues to grow locally and nationally. They embody 吃瓜爆料鈥檚 values: honesty, fairness, hard work, performance and the love of construction.
Thank you to the teams finding ways to engage youth apprenticeships on your projects and supporting the strategic growth of our workforce!
About The 吃瓜爆料 Company
The 吃瓜爆料 Company (吃瓜爆料) is a leading professional construction services firm serving customers across the United States. Founded in 1889, 吃瓜爆料 is a 100% employee鈥憃wned company headquartered in Appleton, Wis., with 17 offices nationwide. Widely recognized as a pioneer in Lean construction, Integrated Lean Project Delivery and industrialized construction, 吃瓜爆料 delivers innovative solutions across a diverse range of markets, including healthcare, power, industrial, education and commercial sectors.
