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It was anything but a typical day at school for 1,000 Portland-area high school students who descended on Camp Withycombe in Clackamas County on Thursday for the Associated Builders and Contractors鈥� Craft Championships.

Some students lined up to go more than 200 feet aloft in a crane. Others drilled long screws into lumber using a professional-grade drill, or carved pumpkins with saw-like knives.

ABC鈥檚 Pacific Northwest chapter started hosting the event locally in 2015.

鈥淲hat it was meant to do is give exposure to the public, to high schools, that construction is a viable career,鈥� said Laurie Kendall, president and CEO of the local ABC chapter.

The core of the event is a skills competition for craft workers. Sam Follett of Hunter-Davisson Inc. won the HVAC category and Josh Spencer of Sun Glow Inc. won the sheet metal category. They will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the national Craft Championships competition in Las Vegas in February 2025.

Kendall told groups of high school students that they can enter the workforce without the thousands of dollars in debt that hang over college graduates.

鈥淵ou go two to four years depending on the program (and) you come out debt-free,鈥� Kendall said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e making a career, and it鈥檚 essential.鈥�

Students, all wearing neon green T-shirts, milled about the vintage tanks at Camp Withycombe鈥檚 Oregon Military Museum.

Some of the students said they were considering careers in construction. Kelly Jean, a junior at Roosevelt High School, said he鈥檚 interested in welding, plumbing and other skills.

鈥淚 would like to learn how to do a little bit of everything,鈥� he said.

A long line of students formed for a ride aboard a crane. They were hoisted approximately 210 feet in the air in the crane operated by Garrett Smith of Sherwood-based Jacked Co.

鈥淚t was pretty fun, even though I have a fear of heights,鈥� said Hayven Stacy, a West Linn senior.

Sponsors from local companies fielded questions and handed out freebies. Alex Korver, a project manager and estimator with Local Plumbing Co., said one student asked her a question about union versus nonunion career tracks.

鈥淵ou have to weigh the pros and cons to both, because there are pros and cons to both,鈥� Korver said.

Brent Bennett, general manager of McBride Construction Resources Inc.鈥檚 Portland office, said he wanted to keep the craft tradition alive in the industry. His son, a high school freshman, is interested in construction, Bennett said.

鈥淭his (event) is kind of unique in that we鈥檙e not here necessarily trying to get work,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t seems like there鈥檚 a lot of interested kids.鈥�

Craftspeople competed in two separate divisions, in HVAC and sheet metal, respectively. At the sheet metal station, competitors took careful measurements before hammering sheet metal into place.

鈥淲e definitely need more people in the trades, so if they鈥檙e inspired to join the trades, that鈥檚 cool,鈥� said Christian Collingwood, an installer for Hunter-Davisson Inc. who competed in the sheet metal division.

鈥淚鈥檇 say get into the trades as soon as you can,鈥� he added. 鈥淭he trades are a rewarding and profitable thing to do.鈥�