“The most impactful part of the camp for me was the networking aspect. I feel really secure with my career since I now have people who I can go to if I ever need help or guidance. I learned that I truly belong in this field of work because, since the first day of camp, everything was interesting to me, and I felt so motivated to go into this field of work. What I will take from this is experience is the people I know and the connections I now have.”
Gabriel
Hernandez, Southern
California camp participant
Swinerton hosted students in the Southern California summer camp to a jobsite tour of the OCVibe project. PHOTO BY ROBINLORI PHOTOGRAPHY, LLC, COURTESY OF SWINERTON
includes a template of actionable items and next steps they can take monthly to actively continue their journey toward a career in construction, according to Combatti.
“Tis is where their career journey
really starts, because we are going to walk alongside them and continue to guide and mentor them for the year following camp,” she said. “Te career mapping and support is just one of the differentiators that makes the Build California camps stand apart.” With a focus on serving underrep-
resented populations including girls, gender-expansive youth or at-risk/system impacted youths – a key objective as funding primarily came from the Califor- nia Department of Industrial Relations’ Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeship (ERiCA) grant – the camps were designed to be a transformative experience for participants. Some 84% of the campers in Northern California were from racially or ethnically under- represented populations and 37% were female or nonbinary, while in Southern California those figures were 90% and 16%, respectively. Daniel Dumke, senior director of
Shawmut Design and Construction who serves as 2025 Chair of the AGC of Califor- nia Construction Education Foundation (CEF), said the camps provided a fulfilling
8
CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025
experience not only for the students but also for the many industry professionals who had the chance to be involved.
Industry Partnerships are Key For its inaugural year, 14 different indus- try-based entities helped support the Build California camps either financially, and/or by providing volunteer speakers or hosting jobsite visits throughout the week. “Our industry thrives when we bring in diverse voices and perspectives — and that’s exactly what Build California Summer Camp is all about,” Dumke commented. “Tese immersive camps provide young people from underrep- resented communities with the access, exposure, and encouragement they need to see themselves in construction careers.” “Having had the opportunity to per-
sonally participate was exceptionally rewarding and allowed me to see first- hand the positive influence the camp had not only on the participants, but for the parents as well,” Dumke added. “I want to extend my sincere thanks to our Pre- senting Sponsors, Turner and McCarthy, along with our many generous camp sponsors and grant funders, for making this life-changing experience possible for so many students across the state.” Demonstrating their deep commit-
ment and enthusiasm for the program, many students – and their parents –
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