IRON MOUNTAIN — The 24 students participating in this year’s Building Trades Summer Camp in Iron Mountain graduated from the program Wednesday in a ceremony attended by state and local dignitaries.

Organized by the Upper Peninsula Construction Council, the program gives high school students a six-week introduction to construction activities. Students are paid $12 an hour for the duration of the camp, mirroring the earn-while-you-learn structure of union apprenticeships.

“We hope the parents in the audience have observed the same growth of your sons and daughters that we have witnessed over the last six weeks,” UPCC Executive Director Mike Smith told the crowd assembled at the Laborers Local 1329 Training Center. “We have observed improvements in communication skills, problem solving, critical thinking, leadership, and so much more.”

Students participating in the camp got experience with forming, pouring, and finishing concrete; laying tile, scaffold erection; electrical work; painting and staining; operating, rigging and lifting; structural steel erection; HVAC, ductwork supply and return; plumbing, pipe fitting and welding; wood framing; and installation, maintenance and repair of industrial machinery and equipment.

During the graduation ceremony, Director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Susan Corbin congratulated the students and commended the program for helping to recruit Michigan’s future construction workforce.

“We have a finite and aging workforce in the Upper Peninsula. This is a universal issue, not just something we face in the construction industry,” Smith said. “The Building Trades Summer Camp is no accident; we designed a program here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that creates interest and opportunity for young people to determine their own fate and identify pathways to success.”

Every applicant to the program participates in resume writing and interview skills workshops provided by Michigan Works. After the workshops are completed, applicants are interviewed and finalists selected. Once hired, students participate in a financial literacy workshop as well as a safety workshop with the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration before stepping onto the construction site.

All students participated in Fieldtrip Fridays in partnership with MiSTEM teacher externships, visiting local industries in the Iron Mountain area. This year students visited Billerud Qinessec, LP Sagola, Iron Mountain-Kingsford Wastewater Treatment Plant, Systems Control, Boss Snowplow, and Gundlach Champion & MJ Electric to tour the Pine Mountain Ski Jump.

Students also performed several community service projects in Iron Mountain. They constructed a 320-square-foot elevated deck at the VFW hall, built new concrete walkways at St. Mary & St. Joseph Catholic Church, and did painting and staining at teenage counseling service The Cure and the VFW.

The camp is held in a different location in the U.P. each year, giving students from different geographical areas access to the opportunity. It was held in Gladstone in 2022, and Negaunee in 2023. Next year’s camp will be held in Gladstone and Escanaba.

The camp is organized in partnership with UP Michigan Works, Delta-Schoolcraft ISD, Dickinson-Iron ISD, Marquette-Alger RESA, the Workforce Development Institute, and representatives from the UPCC’s signatory union contractors and trades.

Trades participating in the camp include International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 1011; Operating Engineers Local 324; Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local 2; UA Plumbers, Pipefitters & HVAC Local 111; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 906; Sheet Metal Workers International Association Local 7; Ironworkers Local 8; Boilermakers Local 169; Laborers’ Union Local 1329; and Carpenters and Millwrights Local 1510.