More than 500 high school students attended the Oregon Department of Transportation’s annual Construction and Utilities Career Day in early May; an event designed to afford students the opportunity to operate heavy equipment in a controlled, safe environment and talk one-on-one with contractors, utilities, state agencies, two- and four-year colleges and trade apprenticeship programs.

“As of today there are 7 million jobs that are unfilled – we don’t have enough people to fill the jobs that you will see today,” an Oregon DOT spokesmen noted at the event. “There is just so much opportunity at this agency.”