This weekend is all about Driving the Future, with the annual return of Dozer Day at the Clark County Event Center.
This is the event “Where Kids Drive” real construction equipment — under expert supervision, of course — and get an introduction to the world of construction.
But before kicking off Saturday and Sunday festivities for families, Friday was all about high school students and local companies participating in the Dozer Day Hands-On Career Fair.
The Nutter Family Foundation is celebrating 20 years of Dozer Day in Clark County, and the foundation was proud to invite close to 1,000 high school students to the region to meet with industry leaders.
“We are connecting them with businesses in the trades,” said Jerry Nutter, a board member of the Nutter Family Foundation. “This is just an opportunity to learn what is out there.”
Back in 2023, Braden Roth was a senior at Hockinson High School when he attended the Career Fair at Dozer Day.
Today?
He is working with AKS Engineering and Forestry as a surveyor, plus he is now going to college.
“It’s been really cool for me. I didn’t want to go to college right out of high school,” Roth said. “This was a great opportunity.”
He met Tim Hollenbeck from AKS back in 2023. Hollenbach gave Roth his business card and after describing the job of a surveyor, he told Roth to give him a call if he was interested in learning more.
Two weeks later, Roth called Hollenbeck. They talked even more about the job, the career opportunities. Hollenbach then encouraged Roth to apply.
“We hired him right out of high school,” Hollenbeck said. “I’ve been teaching him how to survey ever since.”
On Friday, they were at the same table, meeting seniors of today, looking for jobs for tomorrow.
Roth said the Career Fair changed his life. Not only is he learning the surveying world, he is now a licensed drone pilot and he is attending college, seeking certification for the skills in his career.
“It’s great to try something for a couple of years before you commit to a degree in anything,” Roth said.
In fact, he likes volunteering at these career fairs because he knows what it was like being on the other side of the table.
“These are amazing. I volunteer for these as much as I can for AKS, telling kids that there are always options,” Roth said.
Dozens of companies set up booths and tables for Friday’s event.
For Saturday and Sunday, Dozer Day becomes the traditional family event that attracts 15,000 to 20,000 people.
Heavy equipment can be operated by children, with supervision. Plus there are digs for children and even digs for adults. There is a large tire maze, as well, set up by Les Schwab Tire Center.
Dozer Day is open from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the Clark County Event Center. Tickets are $15 per person. Parking is $8. For more information, and to purchase tickets in advance, go to: https://vancouver.dozerday.org/
Comments
Loading comments…