Film students create virtual job shadow series at CCI project site
CareerTek students interview, film workers at ABC Supply Stadium
By HILLARY GAVAN Senior staff writer | Beloit Daily News
January 16, 2021
From left: Beloit Memorial High School students Reid Stadelman and Kaelyn Miller were interviewing and filming workers Wednesday at the site of the ABC Supply Stadium as part of the Hendricks CareerTek Career Talks program. Shown to the right is Peer Canvas photographer Brenton Driscoll. Hillary Gavan/Beloit Daily News
BELOIT — Students in Hendricks CareerTek’s Career Talk program have been interviewing and filming a variety of professionals on the site of the future ABC Supply Stadium to learn more about the career opportunities in the trades.
The project started in September and will be wrapping up in early summer. There is still time for high school students to join. For more information, people can visit CareerTek’s website at https://hendrickscareertek.org.
The group of about a dozen students started out by interviewing architects, estimators and an environmental engineer—professionals who worked on the project prior to its groundbreaking. They then moved on to talking to excavators, mason workers, steel erectors and HVAC workers. In the coming weeks the students will be interviewing those working with plumbing on the site, according to CareerTek Director of Career Development Susan Day.
The group has met twice a week and has completed 13 video segments with a goal of 30 clips. Once the video clips are complete, Day shares them with students at construction classes at area high schools.
“Our goal is to make the students aware of the variety of trades that are included in completing the stadium,” Day said. “We want to expose kids to the trades. What we are finding in all the interviews is that people can make a very good living working in the trades.”
The students not only learn about an array of new career options, but also get experience filming, producing and interviewing.
“We are using it as another learning opportunity,” Day said.
The project is offered thanks to a partnership with CareerTek, Hendricks Family Foundation, Peer Canvas photographers Brenton and Marjorie Driscoll and Corporate Contractors Inc. (CCI) who is the general contractor for the building project.
CareerTek’s mission is to help students, grades sixth and above, achieve their career goals and aspirations by providing college and career readiness support.
“We are able to do this through partnerships within our community and area school districts. We are fully funded by the Hendricks Family Foundation,” Day said.
Part of CareerTek’s mission is offering job shadowing opportunities. Prior to COVID-19, students would go to area businesses and visit for half a day to learn about careers. With safety restrictions, Day said she thought it might be a good idea to conduct the job shadows in the open air at the stadium.
She approached CCI and Peer Canvas photography to help create the virtual job shadow series.
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