A group of local high school students earlier this month spent a day learning about careers in construction management and the skilled trades. Howard S. Wright and the Portland Workforce Alliance hosted 28 students from a total of eight high schools for a day of activities that included a job site tour, estimating and mapping activities, and a look at a job through virtual reality.

One quarter of the participants were girls, and about 70 percent came from higher-poverty-area high school campuses. The day’s activities were organized by Osvaldo “Ozzie” Gonzalez, Howard S. Wright’s director of diversity and social sustainability. In an evaluation of the day, he stated, “We get to expose the great careers in our industry and share our passion with young people at a time when we need new talent across the country.” (Photos courtesy of Portland Workforce Alliance)

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ZGF Architects teamed up with Portland Workforce Alliance last week to give 55 local high school students a crash course on the architectural field during its annual Career Day. The day’s activities included a presentation by ZGF designers, followed by an architectural tour of downtown Portland and ZGF’s offices.

Students then broke out into groups for charrettes in which they considered the design concepts for a rural elementary school. ZGF employees guided the discussions, in which the students discussed the programming of classrooms, administrative and recreational space. The day concluded with pin-up presentations by each team of their design concepts.

This was the 10^th year that ZGF has teamed with Portland Workforce Alliance, a nonprofit which holds similar events at various employers throughout the region to introduce students to career opportunities available to them in the Portland area.

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