On Feb. 22, the Upper Ohio Valley Building and Construction Trade Council partnered with Project Best to host its fourth annual Construction Career Fair at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, WV. Fourteen Building Trades and eight signatory contractors had interactive displays, helping the over 400 students in attendance get hands-on experience with tasks like bricklaying and bending conduit.
Glenn Giffin, President of IBEW Local 141 started each group of students off with basic information about a Building Trades apprenticeship. “We start our presentation with letting each student know what we expect out of them. Eight hours worked for eight hours pay. We let them know that they must be drug and alcohol free. Most of the students are surprised to learn all the math that is involved,” said Giffin. “We walk them through what each crafts responsibility is, and their job as if we were building WesBanco Arena. In years prior it has been a great selling point to let them know this is a community based debt free education.”
Giffin hopes that each student walked away with knowledge of what union Building Trades are all about.
