Workforce Development
Kitsap Building Association targets workforce from 2 to 24 by Janelle Guthrie Communications Director
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The Builder Grant Program not only provides workers with education and a paycheck, it gives them a sense of belonging and camaraderie.
When it comes to workforce development, Kitsap Building Association (KBA) First Vice President Bob Disney of Disney and Associates knows today’s toddler is tomorrow’s tradesperson. Disney and his colleagues in Kitsap County offer experiences ranging from “Tractors and Tikes” and “Construction in Motion” to “Trades in Motion” and the “Builder Grant Program” to engage the future workforce from age two to 24. Construction in Motion/Tractors and Tikes Similar to “Dozer Day” events supported by the Central Washington Home Builders Association and the Building Industry Association of Clark County, “Construction in Motion” provides children in Kitsap County an opportunity to climb up on all sorts of construction vehicles, including dump trucks, excavators, bulldozers and more. Kids build toolboxes then receive t-shirts, 18
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hardhats and tools for their toolboxes. They also can take a floor joist walk and cheer on their favorite excavators in the annual excavator races. When COVID-19 caused KBA to cancel its 2021 Fall Home Show, as well as “Construction in Motion,” Disney shifted gears and launched “Tractors and Tikes” with all COVID-19 protocols in place. Roughly 1,200 people participated in the five-hour event at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds last fall.
“Despite COVID-19 concerns, we still had people lined up around the building,” Disney said. “Kids love to get up on the equipment, to hear the clanking of the machinery and to feel the rumble of the engines. It’s all about creating a lasting memory, and a catalyst as they think about their future. Some kids come back year after year with their toolboxes to participate in this event.”
More than 1,200 people came to “Tractors and Tikes” at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds
