Associated Asphalt is paving the way forward for young students in Tampa, Florida to find a career in the industry.
Wanda Hatchett, Human Resources Administrative Assistant, recently coordinated a team of Associated Asphalt employees from different backgrounds to attend the Florida Construction Career Day in Tampa. This event was created by transportation industry officials out of the growing need for a skilled labor pool to match the industry growth in the state of Florida. Associated Asphalt shares the need for talented employees as we grow our footprint from Florida to New York, so the decision to sponsor the event and attend was easy.
Opportunities in Asphalt
The Florida Construction Career Day isn’t your typical career fair. Partner agencies and organizations responsible for the event felt it was important to allow attending companies to truly demonstrate how the growing market has generated a variety of occupation opportunities for students to consider. In fact, the event in Tampa provided three different areas for businesses to set up and engage with attendees.
In the career center, Wanda was able to set up an exhibit table with brochures and complementary Associated Asphalt drawstring bags with additional information about the company’s benefits. The exhibit gave her the opportunity to have actual face time with students to answer their questions and discover what potential talent is looking for in a career path.
The event also included both a lab demonstration area and an equipment area. In these locations, students got the unique opportunity to witness typical daily tasks that could take place in such roles.
The lab area demonstrated how employees test asphalt at plants to make sure they have been mixed properly and respond to the specific conditions they were created for. In the equipment area, students were able to see an asphalt tanker truck to include those interested in the transportation side of our industry.
Students Today, Skilled Workers Tomorrow
Most students spend their entire school career hearing that the best path to take is to continue into higher education. Associated Asphalt seeks to educate students about other, equally rewarding, career opportunities. A skilled trade career can be just as fulfilling as a career requiring a degree.
As an older generation of employee begins to retire, the need for young, skilled workers will only increase. Associated Asphalt is beginning to see this effect take place as we try to fill vacancies at our 33 terminals from New York to Florida. This event will be one of many outreach expos that our Human Resources team will be attending in 2019.
If you or someone you know is in search of a career in the asphalt production and transport industry, we would love to provide more information about the variety of positions we have open.