What started as a pilot in 2023 has grown into a blueprint for promoting the trades.
Thanks to a grant from the Madison County Employment and Training Department, this June, America’s Central Port welcomed a new group of high school students for the 3rd annual hands-on trades workshop, a one-week immersive experience designed to ignite curiosity, teach practical skills, and inspire the next generation of trades professionals.
Structured as a 5-day program, ten individuals from area high schools, ranging from freshmen to recent graduates, met Monday to Friday from 8 am to 3 pm to gain a hands-on look at the day in the life of our Port’s maintenance team.
Limiting the program to ten students ensured personalized attention from lead instructors Darrin Jones, Jay Petras, and Brian Stahlschmidt, as well as various Port maintenance team members throughout the week.
The maintenance team at America's Central Port is cross-trained to handle multiple projects across various specializations. Because of this, the Port wanted to ensure that the hands-on activities chosen reflected the myriad of projects the Port maintenance team tackles on any given day, and more importantly, to provide participants with exposure to a wide variety of building trades opportunities.
Project 1: Safety First
Safety isn't just a buzzword. Every day began with discussing the work ahead and challenging students to think alongside their mentor counterparts about what tools, materials, and safety requirements were needed to complete the job right, safely, on budget, and on time. Additionally, each participant was equipped with a safety pack at the start of the program, which contained work gloves and protective glasses. Additional protective gear was provided as needed.
Project 2: Sidewalk Construction & Concrete Work
Students participated in the initial steps of constructing a sidewalk, including site preparation, tamping a rock bed, and pouring and finishing the concrete.
Project 3: Electrical Wiring Tutorial
The Port’s maintenance shop was transformed into a hands-on electrical lab, where students worked on pre-built wall panels equipped with electrical boxes. This setup enabled them to practice real-world wiring in a controlled and safe environment. They learned how to cut and strip wire, feed it through conduit and boxes, and connect switches, outlets, and fixtures, mirroring the kind of work electricians do every day.
Project 4: Wood Stud Wall Construction
The Port set up shop in one of its off-market commercial spaces where students could construct a wall as though they were building within a real commercial space, not just a classroom. The project included framing, basic electrical installations for lights and plugs, minor cutting and soldering of copper pipes, plumbing for a toilet and sink, and drywall installation. The project culminated in a big moment for each student: flipping the switch to power on the lights they had wired with their own hands.
Project 5: Wood Stud Wall Demolition
To provide a comprehensive experience of wall construction, the Port organized a hands-on demolition project as the final event of the week. Supervised and instructed on how to do so in a safe and controlled environment, students got to use several power tools and equipment to demo the walls they had built earlier in the week.
Pop Up Experience: Shadow Experience On Two Residential Service Calls
As part of a special pop-up experience, students accompanied the Port’s maintenance team on two live residential service calls. The first visit offered a behind-the-scenes look at the turnover process for a recently vacated unit, everything from electrical and HVAC checks to plumbing inspections, drywall repair, and fresh paint. The second call dropped them into an in-progress plumbing fix, where they observed real-time troubleshooting and repair work. These field experiences provided students with a genuine sense of the pace, problem-solving, and variety involved in residential maintenance.
Two other activities included experiencing the use of a backhoe to dig holes and move dirt, as well as a small welding demonstration where students learned how to perform 90-degree welds.
Exposure To Other Trades
Beyond the projects facilitated for each student, America’s Central Port tenant KB Pods, which manufactures modular kitchens and bathrooms for commercial and residential construction projects, toured the students through their prefabrication facility, demonstrating how the skills they had just learned can be applied to good-paying jobs in their backyard.
The Madison County Employment & Training Department also gave a lunchtime presentation to the students regarding paid job shadow opportunities in the trades.
Inspiring Future Success
What started as a simple introduction to the trades has grown into something far more impactful. Students left the week with marketable skills, visible confidence, and a more profound respect for hands-on work. Parents also noticed the change, sharing how their teens were waking up early, energized, and excited to "go to work" each day. For the Port’s maintenance team, the experience has become more than a mentorship opportunity; it’s a way to invest in the next generation and share pride in a craft that's often overlooked. Year after year, this program proves one thing: when you give young people access, tools, and trust, they rise to the challenge and excel.
America’s Central Port is a special-purpose unit of local government whose mission is to advance multi-modal transportation, create business expansion opportunities, and assist in job creation for the Southwest Illinois region. Home to 192 residential units, 2 million square feet of warehouse space, and a 1,200-acre river, rail, and road transportation hub, America’s Central Port is one of the leading economic advancement organizations in the Southwest Illinois region.
