More than 60 companies participated in the 18th Annual Arizona Construction Career Days in Phoenix. The two-day event, held Nov. 5 and 6 at the Arizona Army National Guard at Papago Park in Phoenix, exposed young people to career options they may not otherwise have considered, especially ones that don’t require a college degree. Nearly 3,500 students and 400 teachers from 130 schools and 12 counties attended the event, traveling from as far away as Yuma, Winslow, the Navajo Reservation and other rural areas. Rosendin Electric offered students hands-on demonstrations with technology that has changed the industry, such as computer modeling and augmented reality. Volunteers from the company’s Tempe office also taught students how to wire a light, fabricate tubes and bend conduit pipe. Career Days was hosted by the Association for Construction and Career Development (ACCD) to address the tight labor market in construction and related industries.

Students, teachers and district staff celebrated completion of construction at the new Campo Bello Elementary campus in Phoenix on Nov. 15 with a dedication ceremony and an art fair. McCarthy Building Cos. recently completed the project, which included demolition of an old building and an update of the remaining buildings to create a state-of-the-art facility. The $19-million project includes 70,000 sq ft of new facilities, including classrooms, a multipurpose room and cafeteria, a media center, special area classrooms (for vocal music, visual arts, band and strings) and building support areas. A 12-classroom building also was renovated and playfields were built on the site of the old campus buildings after demolition.