Dee Davis (00:00)
Good morning and welcome to the Management Under Construction Podcast. I'm your host, Dee Davis, and I want to welcome you to part two of our episode on Epic Campus. Last week, if you joined us, we were joined by Mark Finer and Beth Best from Epic Campus in Littleton, Colorado, where they started sharing with us this amazing program that they have for high school students to teach them what it's like to work in the real workforce, including
construction programs. So please join us for part two of this episode.
Dee Davis (00:41)
You mentioned your no boots, no work policy, which is exactly what happens in the real workplace. If you show up to a job site and you don't have appropriate attire, you go home. That that's real life. And and that's exactly what you're giving these kids,
Marc Finer (00:57)
And not only do you not work, you don't get paid. There it is.
Dee Davis (00:59)
Absolutely.
I'm getting grown adults showing up to work unprepared, and I have to turn them around and send them home. They didn't go through the epic program. And it seems silly, and you wouldn't think, somebody my age, would never dream of showing up to work unprepared, but that's how we were brought in to the industry. I think there's just an awful lot of difference. And so these programs like this that teach these values.
to the younger generations coming up into industry is tremendously important and I think extremely impressive because I don't know that they're gonna get that in very many places these days.
seeing the job is one thing, getting ready for the job is something else entirely. Let's dig into the workforce readiness grading that you had mentioned to me before.
You grade your students on workforce readiness as they go as part of their actual grades. So please tell me a little bit about that.
Marc Finer (02:01)
Yeah, this really came about from industry feedback. So like I mentioned earlier when we were planning our curriculum and our pathways at Epic, when we were talking industry,
didn't matter what pathway when we asked industry what is it that you need students coming out of high school with to enter the workforce or even if it's post secondary what do you need from them and overwhelmingly the first thing they said had nothing to do with skill set not the hard skill sets it was the soft skills it was showing up every day showing up
on time being able to communicate and just being a reliable employee companies spend so much time so much money onboarding people and the resume will tell you the the hard skills right it'll tell you the certifications it will not tell you yeah this person's gonna show up every day
the resume won't show you what their soft skills are. And so we intentionally planned what we call workforce readiness skills. and every pathway on campus ranks that at forty percent of a student's grade the semester. I mean, as a student, as a parent, what does that tell you? Tells you that's really important.
It's almost on par with the the the curriculum of the skill set. both my daughters were fortunate enough to go to a CTE program when they were in high school. and I remember going to orientation for my older daughter who did sports medicine. so she was still part of her home high school, but it just similar to Epic, she would go each morning to this program.
And I remember hearing from three students that the teacher brought in at orientation. And one student said, I'm going to be going to college to study physical therapy. Another student said, I'm going to be going to college after this to study sports medicine. And the third student said, I'm going to be going and studying environmental science because I want to be a forest ranger. And these were three students that went through the sports medicine program. And my thought was, why did this instructor have this student come in?
Who's not even going into sports medicine? And while that's going through my head, he said, but everything I learned this semester regarding workforce readiness is going to help me out going forward in the future. He said, I learned how to write a resume, I learned how to, interview. And so when we were putting Epic together, that really stuck in my head.
And they did not grade workforce readiness the way we do. It was just that instructor thought it was really important to put into her classroom. And so our administration, all of our pathway leads at Epic thought that this was such an important skill set for our students to have that we we agreed it's it's worth forty percent of a student's grade. And like you said, Dee, when you came in with NAWIC for BlockKids.
the the students were professional. They don't act like high school students. at least not in the setting when when they're at Epic or representing Epic at events. Beth's got a great story when we took students our first year to a career fair where there are about four hundred high school students. I I'm gonna let Beth tell that because it it's such a great win for our for our students.
Beth Best (05:33)
workforce readiness is embedded into every single class that we teach at Epic Campus. we really focus on work-based learning versus school-based learning. And under work-based learning is these workforce readiness skills. So we teach communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and professionalism.
we had two bus fulls of students that we took down to this career fair specifically for the construction trades industry.
And at Epic Campus, it's mandatory. Students have to wear a uniform and they have to have a collared shirt. So they can they have to get a collared shirt and then they can get a hoodie or a t shirt or whatever. So we said we're going down to this professional career fair. You have to wear your collared shirt. There's no hats. you need to
Take a shower and we want you to bring your resume we were in classes helping them build their professional resume. We talk to them about how to talk to a perfect stranger about your qualifications and what makes you unique. So we get down to this career fair and it there are hundreds.
upon hundreds of students there from the Denver metro area. It's a very large career fair. And on the way down there, our students were uncomfortable. They thought, I I really wish I had my hat on. I really wish I didn't have to wear this uniform. And immediately when we pulled up,
our students looked out the window of the bus and they saw kids with hats on backwards, they saw sweatpants, they saw tank tops,
And they immediately saw this difference and they stood taller when they got off the bus and they walked in and perfect adult strangers said, You look so nice. We're so thankful. it's so neat that you chose to dress up to come to this.
And our students walked around with their resumes, offering their hand for a handshake, looking at adults in the eyes, saying, I am interested in learning more about your company. What positions are you hiring for? What skill set are important to you? May I give you my resume? Here's my resume. This tells you all about me and my credentials. And I'm telling you, our students saw the difference.
And so did the industries that were there at this career fair. And our students were offered more jobs at their career fair than any other campus that was there or other school that was there. And it was just so fun to see our kids all of a sudden click.
Now I understand why Mr. Finer always talks to me about communication or why I have to wear this uniform or that a handshake says a lot about me. And so we we take all of our pathways. We try to connect with industry to go to career fairs. But I think that the construction industry does it really well. And so we we actually host our own industry career night. We call it career and
information night. where this last year we had 49 companies. We had companies, we had higher ed, we had unions, we had trade schools, we had everyone come in and we invited parents because parents are the ones that need to learn that yes, you think your son or daughter are going to go directly to college. Well there's other
successful pathways that you can take that don't need college. And so we bring in parents, we bring in our students to come in. we encourage them to dress professionally. We encourage them to bring their resumes. And they get to go around and talk to
all these companies and organizations and schools and unions and the military as well, what opportunities await me once I graduate high school? Are you hiring right now? May I set up an interview with you? And it's really a fun environment and that is the culmination of these workforce readiness skills because what we're doing is we look and operate like a school.
But we're really a workforce development center, really preparing these students to go off into their future with a career path that really makes sense for them and that they feel like they're ready for. And so
The grading for workforce readiness at first was really awkward for students, but now I think they look forward to that feedback from their their peers and from their instructors, and they also get that time to reflect on was I a good collaborator today, or what can I do better tomorrow to be a better
partner with my team. So would love to have anybody that wants to come in and see this in action and we would invite you in because it's really something to see.
Dee Davis (10:42)
That's a brilliant story. I absolutely love that to see the kids just kind of go, I'm actually gonna stand out in a good way here. instead of melting into the background and hiding in your hoodie or underneath your hat, I'm gonna stand out in a positive way and get positive feedback immediately from that is wonderful. And I can tell you, as somebody who interviews and hires people on a regular basis, there is a lot to those soft skills.
I have a new guy starting on Monday. It was a Teams interview. I haven't met the person in person. You review the the resume, the technical skills. Okay, you got these certifications. You got this much experience. That's great. I want to meet you. I want to see what your personality's like. I want to see what your communication skills are like. I want to see what kind of a team player are you going to be? Are you going to be somebody that jumps in with both feet or stands in the corner and waits to be told what to do?
Those kinds of things make an enormous difference in whether or not you get the opportunity to get the job. And that eye contact, that handshake, that smile, it's it's endless how much that matters in any industry, not just construction. especially when you're the younger person and you're dealing with somebody that's older than you, having the guts the
and the confidence to put your hand out and look them in the eye and talk to them, it's it's impressive because not everybody's doing that. I can tell you for sure. That is so amazing. I love that. Okay, a high percentage of Epic courses are concurrent enrollment with community college,
and I know that you can earn certifications like OSHA 10 and some other things and you coordinate credit transfer to make sure that their time at Epic helps them out and transfer. So can you tell me some more about that?
Marc Finer (12:43)
Yeah,
I think the concurrent enrollment portion that we offer our students in classes is super beneficial. we tell the students, you have this opportunity to earn college credit while you're taking these classes. and the curriculum's embedded. So it's not additional work they have to do. And I think we have some students that the very first thought in their mind is, but look, Feiner, I'm not going to college.
I don't need college credit. and I say, What do you do if someone offers to buy you a free lunch. They go, Well, I'm gonna take it. I said, and you're gonna say thank you, right? yeah, yeah, I'm gonna say thank you. I said, Well, if someone offers you free college credit, what are you gonna do? And they think for a moment and they're still thinking, I don't want it, but they go, I'll take it and say thank you. And so we we we talk about what does this do for you? Well.
You don't know what's happening five years down the road. so all of a sudden you've got thirteen college credits through this construction class. Like, whoa. we talk about apprenticeships now. So many of them are tied into academic facilities. So as they're earning their journey workers credential, they're also either earning
an associate degree in construction science or very close to an associate, maybe eight, ten credits away from it. So this can stack onto that. there are companies out there that are willing to pay for those extra few credits. If you come in with it, it it shows them on your resume that this person's a a worker, right? they want to improve their knowledge. They want to work their way up in the industry.
And so it it shows that little extra right there. that to them, maybe it's 17 years old, 18 years old, it's not really high on their list right now. They're like, no, let me get proficient in these tools and this this technique for installing these plumbing fixtures. but later on they go, yeah, that was worthwhile. And yeah, I didn't have to do additional work to to get it. So
All of our pathways have courses that align with concurrent enrollment. Our courses also have content credit for the district. And so what that means is students are earning academic content credit for their home high school graduation requirements. So in our construction classes, our students are getting math credit. So we've embedded math standards. And we we worked with high school math department heads in in making sure that.
what we have in there aligns with what we're doing in our curriculum. So we worked really hard to vet that process. So these students are truly getting the credit that they need for graduation. So what it means is they're allowed to come to Epic without feeling pressure of, I still gotta take another math class my senior year. No, this is a math credit. so it's real beneficial to students in aiding their success.
preparing
for high school graduation. So they get, their concurrent enrollment, they get content credit as well. and really working with the the community college system in our program has been really, really good. Some of our other pathways they may not necessarily align with the community college program. They'll partner up with some of our other institutions in Denver for
college credit as well. So there there's a lot of offerings for our students. And really the first year student is with us in the in the build side of construction, they're earning nine college credits. So they're they're getting college credit for their OSHA. there's an OSHA 1310 class. They're getting lab credits of four credits for a con ten ten class, four credits for a con ten eleven class through the community college system.
It's phenomenal. So right there, nine credits, their first year with us.
Dee Davis (16:40)
it's incredible how much construction, physically doing and building things helps with math. I I started out in the industry as a carpenter and I've I never considered myself very good at math. I avoided it a lot in school, I'm gonna be honest, because I just didn't enjoy it. As soon as I started working with a tape measure every day, all of a sudden math made a lot more sense and and working with my hands and building things every day.
And by the time I I turned around and went to engineering school, math wasn't so hard anymore. it helped me visualize it. And I think giving these kids the opportunity to build something and and to just get that pleasure out of actually constructing something with their own two hands and then connecting that with math and with all the things that we've been telling them they need all these years, it finally clicks. You're like,
That's why I need math. And it's not so hard anymore.
Marc Finer (17:36)
Yeah, you know what I I'll add on to that when we talk to industry about the what do you need? And it's someone show up every day on time, all this. The other thing is they need to know how to read a tape measure. And I will tell you we've had graduates come back who are now in apprenticeships and they they go, Feiner, y you were right. Like I'm working with twenty five, twenty six year olds, they can't read a tape. I'm like, I was telling you guys it's a skill.
You need to learn. And they're like, it is unbelievable. So yeah, math when it's applied absolutely makes sense. We have students in our program that are 4.0 students. We have some students that are 1.5 students on a GPA. And to see that 1.5 student explain a 3, 4, 5 triangle to a 4.0 student when they're squaring out their floor is it is just it it's the best thing ever, right? Because we know as being in the industry.
I if you're doing it and it makes sense, it's not hard. Right? I tell the students I spent my entire freshman year of algebra not understanding slope. I just went an entire year just I just let it go over my head because it wasn't making any sense to me. And then I showed up sophomore year. I passed algebra one barely, but I passed. And I showed up for a geometry my sophomore year.
And that first week of school, the teacher's just doing all the recap of everything. And and he said, So slope is like the pitch of a roof. And he just kept on talking. And I went, there it is. The entire year of algebra just clicked in one sentence by this teacher. Because I spent that summer roofing. And I knew what the pitch of a roof was. And I understood how to find the pitch of a roof, but never did slope and pitch.
get put together in the same sentence for me. And so yeah, that that applied part of it is so key for these students. And it it gives them such a a sense of accomplishment and feeling that they don't get sitting in a classroom in in a math class in their home high school.
Dee Davis (19:42)
Yeah, I'm a big advocate for whipping out the tape measure in, first, second grade. seriously. I think teachers would be able to explain fractions and things like that so much easier, and the kids would get it a little bit better, you know, by learning how to read a tape measure and then applying that. But that's just me. I'm not an elementary school teacher. So all right. So you guys have something called
signing day. And I just think this is the coolest thing ever. And I would like you to explain to the audience what is signing day at Epic Campus?
Beth Best (20:15)
So Mark had a dream. And he said, Beth, how can we work together to make this dream a reality at Epic Campus? And the dream was really celebrating these students that are making the choice to go directly to work.
The the students that come to Epic Campus, they gain the technical skills, they gain the durable soft skills, they engage with industry, and they see a path forward for them. And that path forward is to go directly into the workforce. We spend so much time celebrating students that are getting scholarships to college or earning an opportunity to go play.
college ball or soccer or basketball or whatever it might be. And we really glorify and celebrate those achievements and they're they're worth it. But we also want to celebrate and tell the story that going in directly into work is really something special and and important.
So Mark said, Beth, what I want to do, just like they do at the home high schools, where they have signing day for athletics, where they line up all the kids and they have posters that that show them in their athletic event, and then they have a baseball cap for their college and they're signing away. What if we did that for our students that are getting jobs right out of high school?
What about those students that are interning in high school? That that they did such a phenomenal job that that company has offered them a full-time job. So we were able to take his vision, his dream, and make it a reality. We didn't do it our first year, we did it our second year, and I think we had 22 students.
that were graduating from high school through the Epic program in their home high school that were going directly into work. So what we did is we contacted those companies and we said, would you come be at Epic at seven o'clock in the morning? Would you bring your tablecloth? Would you bring some swag? Would you come help us celebrate these students that you have just hired on?
And they jumped for joy. They were so excited to hear that we were going to celebrate these students and also celebrate the company for making that leap of faith to say, we're going to hire this young professional because they have done a good job and they have the the baseline skills, or maybe sometimes even more than the baseline skill that we're looking for.
And so we were able to bring those companies in, we invited family, we invited moms and dads, guardians, aunts and uncles, grandparents. Some kids brought their nanny, their babysitter, their next door neighbor, and the companies brought the managing supervisor or the hiring person.
And it was such a great celebration of these kids saying, This is what I choose to do, and I'm excited to start my career. And so then we did it last year, and I think we we opened it up to all the pathways. And it was such a joyful event. We had students from almost every one of our seven pathways and the sub-pathways. We had,
close to thirty students that were hiring on just incredibly meaningful. Mark and I
both events, we both had tears in our eyes. We were so proud of these kids and so deeply appreciative of our industry partners. And I would love Mark to share with you. He has an analogy about doors and gates that I would love for him to share with you because it it really will round out this whole story about the the signing days.
Marc Finer (24:22)
I don't know if that was a tear in my eye, Beth. I think I just had something in there because I don't have my safety glasses on that day. it was an unbelievable event. as Beth said, that I I had that vision since we started in twenty twenty two and then with Beth's help and and just having that happen was great. it was parents who would have maybe showed up for high school graduation.
watch their child walk across the stage and then be like, All right, that was that. now they're gonna go flip burgers or something because it was more than that and we gave them an opportunity for a career, it was it it was so magical. And just watching the look on on their family and friends' faces was was so cool.
Beth alluded to the the doorway analogy. I I tell the students and I tell the parents this too that every day when our students walk into campus, they walk in through the main door of our west building. And then they go across the courtyard and they come into the east building where the construction lab is. my my goal is to work with every student.
to to reach their potential, to reach their goal. And so I tell them they all walk in that door the same way. Everyone comes in. But when the class period is over, they can go out any of our doors on our campus to get back to their car, get back to their home high school, wherever they're going. And that is literal and it is metaphorical. because they all come in from the same place. They all start at the same point. But
They're all going to go off to different places. They might go right into industry, they might go into the military, they might go to post secondary. and so we really treat each student as an individual, making sure that they are ready to pursue their dream, their goal. And so it's super fortunate to be able to make these connections with these students. it feels very personal.
I know every staff member at Epic takes their job so I don't say serious, but so personal that that we invest in these students and in these industry partners because we've seen the results. We've seen these students now go on and and and succeed in post-secondary education, succeed going into the workforce.
yeah, it's amazing just being able to make these connections with these students and and and just kinda kinda help them off on their on their journey of their career. And then when they come back to visit us either on their own time or as an industry partner is is really cool. One story I wanna share, just two nights ago we had orientation for our new students at Epic. And
One of my rising seniors came back in and she's currently doing a a summer internship with FCI constructors. they hired her on as a high school intern this summer. And she's she's crushing it, I have to say. she already has two laborers working under her. Her foreman was off the site for two days. She sent me an email, she was Finer Guess what? My foreman's gonna be off site for two days and he's making me acting fore person.
What? Are you kidding me? And so anyway, she came in during orientation to to say hi to me and tell me what's going on. And I said, All right, well, you're sticking around for the next session. I'm gonna have you speak to our parents and our students because they can hear it from me, but hearing it from you, that's gold right there. So anyways, that session ended. She's still there telling me all about how the internship is going and in walks
Another one of our graduates, or one of our graduates from two years ago, three years ago. She was here the first year we were open. and she did construction trades one and two, and she also did our construction management class. And she was all set to go off to college to study criminal justice. That was the last I knew. So she comes walking in because her younger sister is now gonna be at Epic in the business entrepreneurship pathway. And so she's
Finer j I just want stop in and I I wanna say hi. I'm like, great, how's it going? She said, Well, it's going great. I'm doing the CM program. I said, What? I thought you're doing criminal justice. I said, Did you change? She goes, I changed before I even stepped foot on campus. And so she's going into her junior year. She said, I wanna thank you. W everything that I learned in the program put me so far ahead of everybody else coming in as a freshman. but I'm I'm really
trying to score an internship. That's that's really what I'm working on right now. And she's at one of our smaller schools in state for construction management. And trying to get that internship is a little bit harder. And so I looked this way and I looked that way and I said, Cassie meet Mia. Mia, meet Cassie. Both hands went out, they shook hands. I said, Exchange your contact information. I said Mia
Tell Cassie what you were just telling me your Summer internship. Tells her all about it. Mia says, All right, I'm gonna send an email introducing you to my superintendent. I'm gonna see what I can do for you. And I said, girls, this is what it is. This is the network that Epic is building. you can't script this. I mean, it's just it's phenomenal.
there's definitely some great stories to share.
Dee Davis (29:59)
Well, it sounds like you have endless stories about student success, and I wish we could go through all of them. you hit on something though that I want to highlight is networking. There is an episode of this podcast called Networking is not a dirty word. And we did that episode for the express reason that the younger generations feel like, ooh, networking might be kinda
not only is it a little anxiety producing, but I don't really know what it is, and it's kind of scary, and it feels icky like I'm trying to sell myself to people and that's uncomfortable. that whole episode talks about how the hidden job market is in networking. If you're out there putting resumes in on LinkedIn, on Glassdoor, whatever is out there, searching websites and whatever.
70% of job opportunities are unpublished, folks. 70%. This is not a made-up statistic. I connect people with job opportunities that are unpublished all the time. And I'm talking weekly here. You just mentioned one. There's a job opportunity there. It's not on any website, but that person is going to get that opportunity because they know somebody and they network with somebody in some way.
It just happened to be on Epic Campus in this particular case. Networking is the answer to finding a job, and networking is the answer to getting the opportunity to talk to the right person, to make that connection, develop that relationship, even if it's not an opportunity right now, it might be later. I have had people call me years later.
I met this person on a job site. Gotta be honest, I barely remembered them, but they remembered me. Five years later, they contacted me on LinkedIn. And they're a repeat client now. All because we had a good interaction it just manifested itself. This stuff is real, and it's really super important for the younger generations to understand that.
Even if you're networking through somebody like Mark or Beth or a program like Epic, that's networking. That's exactly what you just described. And it is the most powerful thing to grow your career out there that I know that I've found. Everybody I know that is looking for work, that isn't finding work, it's because they're not networking. So I just want to throw that out there. thanks for making that networking point. I try to emphasize this.
every opportunity I get because it is a real thing and it is not a a dirty I'm selling myself, here's all about me, aren't I great? That is absolutely not what networking is. In fact, most of the time when you're networking, you're just having a conversation with somebody.
Beth Best (33:03)
Dee, that's so perfect because we're different in that our finals at the end of e each semester at Epicampus, we try to make it creative and different. We don't have kids sit down and take a test on their knowledge because that's not real world. You don't take tests out in the in the workforce. So last year,
For our winter finals, what we did is we put together a program all about networking. And we taught students, this is what networking is, this is why it's important, and guess what? We're gonna practice it.
And so we walked them through how to to network, and then we gave them opportunities to network. And they had to go find someone that they didn't know. And they had to go up and introduce themselves. we gave them time to put together a 30-second elevator pitch about themselves. Here are the things that you want to share. These are the questions you want to ask.
Because it's more about asking and engaging and meeting the other person. And it was so successful. And we we didn't know if the kids were gonna like it or not. And the other part of that session was also interviewing skills. How do you interview? we had the students rotate through being the interviewer.
being the interviewee and then also observing and watching. And we sent out a survey asking the kids what they thought about the networking and the interviewing session. And it was a resounding success that they came back and they said that was more impactful and more
of a learning opportunity than anything that we've done so far. So I'm so glad that you did your podcast on networking. I couldn't agree with you more. It is really who you know and how you communicate and connect than reading websites and looking for jobs. So I just wanted to share that that we did that as well.
Marc Finer (35:01)
I'd like to add on with the with the networking. not only are industry partners companies, but they're also associations. one of the best ones, NAWIC. so Dee, that that's how we connected, that's how we networked. NAWIC has been really phenomenal in bringing in industry partners for us, and giving our young women in the program
a sense of of self worth, self being, empowerment and leadership. it it's been phenomenal. shout out to NAWIC we gotta do that. especially the Denver chapter. So they've been so great to our students. it's it's just been great. And can I say Dee that Epic is the the first ever high school chapter of NAWIC, thanks to Denver.
chapter, so shout out there.
Dee Davis (35:54)
Absolutely. And I'm getting ready next week to go to the NAWIC National Conference, I'm really glad you brought that up because for the first time in NAWIC history, and NAWIC is quite old. It seems a lot of people have maybe only heard about it in the last 20 years or so, but NAWIC has been around for a very long time. And this is the very first high school chapter we have ever had, and we could not be more proud.
when we had that event Twenty, twenty five students joined.
Marc Finer (36:25)
Yep. Yep. And this year we've got some of our our juniors from last year returning and then we've got a whole new batch of young women that have come in. So we talked about it at orientation the other night. Very excited to get another round of young women into the into the NAWIC chapter and get them started.
Dee Davis (36:47)
Yeah, that is a big feather in NAWIC's cap that we were able to get that through because it was quite a thing. because no one in the history of NAWIC has ever even proposed it before. So like everything else in the industry, we're a slow industry to change. When somebody proposes something new, everybody goes, I don't know, can we do that? Well, sure we can do that.
Let's just make it happen. and other industries have student chapters. So I am a member of ASHRAE I'm a member of MCAA, and they all have student chapters. US Green Building Council has student chapters, they all do, so now we do too.
All right, so we have gone so deep into this and I feel like we could talk about this for days because it is such an amazing thing that you're doing at Epic Campus, but I want to start wrapping things up. Can we talk about one thing an employer could do in the next month to partner with a campus like Epic?
Beth Best (37:48)
They can connect with us and start a conversation. It's that simple. They can come in and meet with myself, meet with Mark, and simply talk about our programs, what we're doing, share with what their needs are for workforce, what their trends are with their industry.
That's just have coffee and have a conversation. It's the simplest way to get started. And I don't have an answer today where that might lead or what that might contain for them in the future. But if we just simply have a conversation, I think that's the best place to start.
Dee Davis (38:28)
I love it. What is a piece of advice for parents that want to support a student choosing a non-college career path?
Marc Finer (38:35)
I
think that's a good point. Beth mentioned this kind of earlier when we have our career industry partner night.
we need to educate the parents. The students, they signed up for these courses. They see it. They know it. I think we're are in a district for a long time has been very set on students going on to college. I think a lot of the time the conversation is not is your child going to college? It's where is your child going to?
And so I think having these evenings where we bring in trade schools, industry partners, higher ed, military, it's to give these parents
the knowledge that construction is not just a
fallback plan. It is a plan. It is a career path, a very good career path. And so I think having the the industry partnership like that helps with educating parents in the community about that. that's a big part of it.
Dee Davis (39:37)
Been doing this a while in the industry, nearly 30 years now. I started off as a carpenter and I went to college a little bit later. And I remember people saying things like, you're working long days, you're working long hours, I was working in the industry while I was going to school, and saying,
I'm going to college, so I don't ever have to work that hard. Well, guess what? Most of the people in my job trailer had college degrees, A lot of them did, a lot of them didn't. it's a kind of a toss-up in the industry, whether you're around people that have a lot of college degrees or they don't have a lot of college degrees, but you know what? They make very, very good money. We make very good money in this industry and certain
little sectors of this industry make even better money. And unions in particular, offer paid apprenticeships where you earn while you learn, but in addition to that, you get retirement. It's one of the few places you can actually get a pension anymore other than a state or a federal job. So I think that it's a misnomer that people
Think, construction is a low-paying, unskilled job. It is quite the opposite. It is a very well-paying career. and many of the trades are extremely skilled. My husband is a retired pipe fitter, and you have to pass a pretty good math test just to get into the pipe trades union. so you got to be able to do a lot of geometry. Geometry is big in in pipe fitting.
it's a very skilled trade, it's a very well-paying trade. All of these disciplines are. I love your statement it's not a matter of if you're going to college, it's a matter of where you're going to college. Well, let's change that conversation a little bit. You don't have to go to college necessarily to work in this industry. You don't have to go to college necessarily to have a good paying career.
and a good retirement and to to support your family in Colorado or anywhere else. Do you guys have any closing statements that you wanted to throw in before we wrap this up?
Marc Finer (41:41)
I want to thank you very much, Dee, for having us on. it's great to share the success that we've had and the hard work that we've put in to see it all paying off here at Epic Campus for our students. yeah, I I just thanks for having us on. I know Beth and I can talk about this nonstop. it's it's just such a passion of ours.
The campus has succeeded because we have such great support from the community. we could not have done it without that. the community saw that there's a need for a program like this and they worked really hard to to get it off the ground and and now it's in our hands to keep it flying. So thank you for having us. This is a great opportunity. Thank you.
Beth Best (42:21)
Dee, I would echo that appreciation of asking us to be one of your guests. What I really, really appreciate is you providing the exposure to industry that high school students are valued and that they are being prepped and ready to go directly into the workforce. Many times I pick up the phone to call a company.
And I introduce myself and I say I'm with Epic Campus High School Career in Tech Ed program. And the immediate answer is no. We only talk to colleges or we're not interested. We need to talk to someone that has three to five years of experience. And I appreciate you seeing
What Epic Campus is doing, what our mission is, how we're helping students, how we're helping industry, how we're helping develop the future workforce, because it does start in high school. In fact, unfortunately, it it should start earlier.
For students to understand all the different types of opportunities that lie ahead in their future. So thank you for giving us this opportunity to tell our story. And I'm hoping that your listeners will want to engage or at least learn more. And also I'm hoping that it will help shift their thinking that a high school student could be a valuable employee for them. And
We're so grateful and I've really look forward to seeing you at an at another NAWIC meeting or having you come back in and seeing us on campus. So thank you.
Dee Davis (44:01)
it's been my pleasure. Like I said at the beginning, I wish there was a program like this when I was in school. If people want to get more involved with Epic, get a tour of Epic,
Contact Mark Feiner or Beth Best at Epic Campus Littleton, Colorado. Thank you so much for being on the show. I can't tell you how excited I am to see you again in person and get to come back to your campus very soon. Thanks for joining us. We'll see you next time.
