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One might think that finding teen-agers willing to give up six weeks of their summer vacation to learn about careers in construction would be challenging, but there were more than a few takers when the University launched the new Minority Youth in Construction Program currently under way.
About 75 African-American teens, who will be entering high school in the fall, applied to enroll in the six-week program, and 33 were accepted. They are not only committed to this summer's session, but will return to the University for the next three summers to complete the program.
"We were surprised at the overwhelming response we received," said Sandra Marks, director of supplier diversity programs. "We planned on having 25 kids. We kept our recruiting efforts fairly limited since it was the first year, but the parents were very interested in having their children on the campus of Washington University."
The boys and girls, sporting shirts emblazoned with MYIC, don hard hats while touring construction sites. They are on campus from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays through July 28. While learning about the various trades and career opportunities in construction, the teens also attend daily sessions in Eads Hall to build their math and computer skills. Metra Gilliard, a recent graduate of the John M. Olin School of Business, teaches the sessions.
"The math enrichment sessions are designed to build their skills for entry into high-skill levels of the construction trade," Marks said. "Construction sponsors provide 'real-world' applications of these math skills to strengthen their understanding and ability to apply concepts taught."
The students, ranging in age from 13 to 15, also are participating in personal development and life-skills activities, including oral and written communications, career planning, decision making/personal choices, and financial planning/budgeting. Each Friday they go on a field trip. In addition to touring construction sites on the Hilltop Campus, the class has been to Saint Louis University and the University of Missouri-St. Louis to compare construction and architecture among the universities.
On a recent Friday, the group also visited the St. Patrick's Center site downtown where Mosley Construction, a minority-owned firm, is the general contractor. The construction firm was hosting an employee recognition day, so the teens got to attend a barbecue in addition to touring the site at the former Sverdrup building.
"We have a broad range of students academically," said Arthur Porter, program director. "Some may not go on to college. We show them an alternative career path much more rewarding than a low-paying dead-end job."
Porter will meet with the students once a month on Saturdays for 10 career development sessions throughout the school year.
Tierra Ford, 14, said she was a little leery of participating in the program when her mother initially told her about it.
"At first, I was like, 'I don't know if I want to.' But I like working with the other students," she said. "I like being on campus. It gives me a feel for college, and I know I want to go to college now. I love computers, and I love science."
Ford, who will attend Hazelwood East in the fall, said she was amazed at all of the construction on the Hilltop Campus.
"I want to be a part of it," she said. "I want to help design buildings. I really love the architecture."
Porter noted: "A lot of kids today get into trouble because they hang around with the wrong kids. This program is creating a new peer group for them with a shared focus. This helps pull them away from the negatives."
Tammy Franks, who will be a freshman at Normandy Senior High in the fall, said the life skills she is learning through the program will come in handy later in life.
"This will help me when I get older, and I needed something to do over the summer," the 14-year-old said. "Last year I went to science camp at UMSL, and it was fun. Here I really like the field trips, and we get to work on the computers and on the Internet."
The program is the brainchild of Ralph Thaman, director of facilities and management. He said he wanted to do something with young people that would also help respond to the lack of minority firms in high-end trades, such as mechanical, electrical and plumbing.
"There is a difficulty in finding construction workers today, and young people are not going into construction. I thought if we could get them interested younger, even if they go to college they could work in construction in some way," he said. "I also thought it was a great opportunity for those who might not be able to or might not want to go to college. There are a lot of good opportunities in construction, but unless you get them interested at a young age they don't seem to get into it."
Marks echoed Thaman's thoughts.
"In the next five years, St. Louis is going to be short people in construction. We will have about 100 people in the pipeline to be in the union," she said.
"Studies show that part of the reason for the high dropout rate during the first two years of high school is that there are not enough African-American role models. They are getting that here, and we are showing the kids that there is a reason to do well in high school even if you are not going to college. We tell them that they can join the union when they turn 18 and ultimately make $25 an hour --$50,000 per year --depending on the trade. We are also exposing them to Washington University, and they may decide to enroll here and become an architect or an engineer."
That's exactly what 14-year-old Shaquon Howard plans to do.
"I am very interested in engineering. I like math and science, and when I was little I would work around the house with my dad," he said. "My science teacher at Normandy Middle School told me about the program."
James Pennington, 15, chose the MYIC program instead of a summer academy focusing on poetry, and he's glad he did.
"I love poetry, but I picked this one over that to learn about math and construction," he said. "I am interested in bricklaying and contracting. Ever since I was about 10 or 11 I've liked to build things. I am good with my hands. I want to be better in computers."
The University is providing the classroom space for the program and pays Marks' and Porter's salaries. St. Louis area contractors are sponsoring students and are funding the $150 stipend each student will receive upon successful completion of the session this summer.
