McKeesport, South Allegheny students will tour NFL Draft stage build

Students from 7 schools were selected to interact with the craftsmen and explore careers in carpentry and other trades.

By KELLEN STEPLER
TribLive

Area high school students studying carpentry will get to learn more about the trade on the city’s biggest stage.

Students from seven area high schools or career technology centers plan a visit Wednesday to the city’s North Shore to get a tour of the stage building and preparations for the NFL Draft, to be held April 23 to 25.

“They’ll look around and say, ‘We’ve done that, we can do that,’” said Michael Brink, carpentry instructor at Pittsburgh Westinghouse Academy in Homewood. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in our city, and the amount it’s going to help our kids with networking is phenomenal.”

Students will get a chance to see the build and interact and network with the craftsmen, said Lance Harrell, director of workforce development for the Master Builders’Association.

In addition to Westinghouse, schools visiting the NFL Draft site include Carrick and South Allegheny high schools, and the A.W. Beattie, Parkway West, McKeesport Area and Steel Center career and technology centers, Harrell said. Each school will bring up to 20 carpentry students. “They can hear from the NFL team about how they’re using their skills to build the stage, and learn what happens once they complete training, and how they can work in the trades,” Harrell said.

That exposure is integral for students, said Angela Mike, executive director of career and technical education for Pittsburgh Public Schools.

“It’s their city, and they can see it being done,” Mike said. “What they’re learning in the classroom can transfer to the real world. Teamwork and craftsmanship comes in place at the highest level.”

The PPS Carpentry program provides students with knowledge of framing, construction materials, estimating, blueprint reading and finishing techniques using hand and power tools.

Students can earn OSHA, American Ladder Institute and Safety and Pollution Prevention certifications, and they also have the ability to earn up to 18 college credits, Brink said.

Upon graduation, students enter a field with a severe labor shortage.

More than 79% of firms have reported difficulty finding qualified carpenters, reports a study from the Associated General Contractors of America. The industry predicts more than 4 million new workers will be needed by 2031 to meet demand and replace retiring staff.

Carpenters typically learn through apprenticeships or on-the-job training. The median annual wage for carpenters was just over $59,000, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show.

“They can put their skills together and make some serious money at the age of 18, making a competitive wage with no debt,” Brink said.

Westinghouse senior Eugene Jackson is wrapping up his second year in the carpentry program.

He’s built step stools, doghouses, and even a “tiny house” with his peers in the program.

Jackson, who plans to enter the carpentry field when he graduates, looks forward to the NFL Draft. In addition to the building tour, he plans to work with Cafe Momentum during the event, serving food.

“I grew up in a football family, watching Joey Porter, Troy Polamalu, Antonio Brown and Santonio Holmes,” said Jackson, who also was a student-athlete on Westinghouse’s football team. “I feel excited that I can be a part of it and help out as much as I can. A lot of people coming to Pittsburgh for the draft don’t know there’s more to Pittsburgh from the outside looking in. The tradition of the Steelers, we’re a competitive city all around, and it’s a beautiful city as well.”

The opportunity to work with the NFL will be a lasting memory for all involved, Harrell said.

“Without the trades, we wouldn’t even have Acrisure Stadium. The kids can see there’s more paths in the industry,” he said. “We’re the city of trades. It ties in perfectly.”