Inspiring the next generation of tradespeople: An inside look at the Construction Career Development Initiative
ST. LOUIS – Darnell Jamison is a Construction Career Development Initiative alumnus. He’s now a successful journeyman carpenter.
“I love it. Every day of it,” he said.
From drywall demonstrations to electrical work and even painting, experts like Jamison showcased their skills as they inspired the next generation of tradespeople.
“It gives them an opportunity to look at the world in a different way, and when you’re out here changing the world, you can look back onto it like I did,” Jamison said.
Which is exactly what 20-year-old De’Aja Jackson is doing.
“I was very poor. I didn’t have a lot growing up,” she said.
But that didn’t stop Jackson from majoring in civil engineering at the University of Central Missouri. She’s also a business administration and construction management minor. She said this is all thanks to the CCDI program.
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“CCDI is one of the reasons why I came to civil engineering. I knew I wanted to do engineering, but I didn’t know what path I wanted to take,” she said. “Going through the program, it made me decide that I wanted to do civil engineering, and I can honestly say that the program has done a lot for me. I feel like I would not be here today if it wasn’t for the CCDI program and everyone within the CCDI program. I got the top scholarship for my class. And without that scholarship, I feel like it probably wouldn’t have been possible for me to go to school.”
Jackson will be interning at Clayco as an assistant superintendent in May.
“I see myself eventually owning my own company, owning my own engineering company, and making lots of money and also giving back to my community. I’m big on giving back to my community,” she said.
That’s what State Sen. Brian Williams, the new executive director of CCDI, says this program is all about.
“It’s simply a program that started in 2015 due to the aftermath in unrest in Ferguson right here in St. Louis,” Williams said. “It really started with Clayco being one of our top investors to ultimately diversify the construction and design industry.”
Around 20 high school students attended the event held at the new Clayco building located on Evans Avenue on Saturday. CCDI uses different commercial construction sites throughout the school year, one weekend a month. To learn more about the program, click here.
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