Students who attended the Build California Camp in Southern California.


communicate a little more effectively,” she said. “We heard so many amazing things that he was exposed to through this camp, and then (for Turner) to give him this externship experience was amazing. For us as parents, it’s just so fun to hear about all these hands-on activities and how he was able to get so much exposure to all these companies and trades.”


The Influence of Educators Te role that educators play in influenc- ing their students to consider oppor- tunities like Build California summer camps and other industry programs cannot be overstated. One example is Michael Collins, who


serves as the PLTW CTE-Engineering & Architecture Instructor/Chair for Baldy View Regional Occupational Program, operating in partnership with Ruben S. Ayala High School. Collins connected with Build Cali-


fornia in recent years as he recognized the need to “expose students to other pathways for careers that don’t require a college education,” he said. Invited to Build California’s Educator’s Summit last year, Collins said the experience was transformational. Held at the Laborers Training School in Azusa, it brought together teachers, counselors and school leaders for hands-on exploration of construction career pathways. “I was able to hear firsthand from a


“The biggest thing was trying to introduce students and families to the multitude of pathways possible beyond the traditional four-year college cycle. Build California has been a really good partner for that.”


– EDUCATOR MICHAEL COLLINS


lot of tradespeople, general contractors, and subcontractors,” Collins said. “It was really eye-opening.” He brought back Build California


trade cards to the school’s career center that provide hands-on construction career information, and he noticed a strong positive response from some students. “You could start to see eyes opening and excitement coming back to some students,” he said. “Te biggest thing was trying to introduce students and families to the multitude of pathways possible beyond the traditional four-year college cycle. Build California has been a really good partner for that.”


Te school also received an AGC CEF Riverside/San Bernardino District School & Community Grant for 2026, enabling it to offer OSHA 10 certifications as part of its Regional Occupational Program. Collins helped spread the word about


the 2026 Build California summer camps through his program and had at least two students attend as a result. The response he heard from them? “Tey absolutely loved it,” he noted. Feedback from the female student who attended was that “it made her more interested in construction, but she sees herself more on the business and management side,” he said. “Both of their takeaways was that it was a really cool experience.”


CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2026


17


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28