UPCC celebrates graduation of fourth Building Trades Summer Camp class

The Upper Peninsula Construction Council (UPCC) celebrated the graduation of its fourth Building Trades Summer Camp class Thursday, honoring students who spent six weeks gaining hands-on experience, career skills and a clearer vision for their future.

Held this year in Gladstone, students earned $13 an hour while working alongside skilled union tradespeople on concrete work, tile and block laying, scaffold erection, electrical wiring, painting and staining, operating heavy equipment, structural steel assembly, HVAC ductwork, plumbing and welding, wood framing, and industrial machinery installation and repair.

The program began with a labor history and collective bargaining workshop, introducing students to the history of organized labor and how collective bargaining shapes wages, benefits and safety standards in the skilled trades.

Students also completed two major community service projects: pouring the slab and foundation for a 12-by-16-foot shed at the Delta-Schoolcraft Intermediate School District (DSISD) Learning Center and demolishing and replacing five cubic yards of concrete at the State Fairgrounds in Escanaba. Under the guidance of Laborers Local 1329, Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 2, Carpenters Local 1510 and Millwrights, students gained valuable skills while giving back to the community.

Fridays were dedicated to career exploration through Field Trip Fridays, where students toured active job sites and major Upper Peninsula employers, including the Renegade Solar Project, Enbridge, Billerud Escanaba Plant and Payne + Dolan.

“This experience has helped you explore what the world needs, what you’re good at, what you love and what you can be paid for,” said Trent Bellingar, director of the DSISD Career and Technical Education Center. “You’ve started filling your toolbox of skills needed for a successful future and taken one more step toward being a positive contributor to society.”

Dr. Nerita Hughes, president of Bay College, emphasized that the program was “designed intentionally to spark interest, open doors and create pathways into high-demand, high-skill careers.” She encouraged graduates to “keep learning, keep building — not just projects, but your skills, your confidence and your vision for the future. Most importantly, believe in your ability to define your own path.”

The camp rotates to a new location in the Upper Peninsula each year to give students from different regions access to the opportunity.

“Every graduate leaves camp with practical skills, industry knowledge and a clear pathway to a great-paying career right here in the U.P.,” said UPCC Executive Director Mike Smith. “Our goal is to show young people — and their parents — that the skilled trades offer job security, excellent wages and the chance to build our communities from the ground up.”

The camp is organized in partnership with UP Michigan Works, DSISD, 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 the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 1011; Operating Engineers Local 324; Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 2; UA Plumbers, Pipefitters and 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.