FARGO, N.D. — As the construction industry faces a critical shortage of skilled laborers, a local two-week summer program is working to ignite a passion for the trades in the next generation.
The Herdina Construction Camp, which has operated in the region for over 20 years, offers students an immersive, hands-on introduction to a wide variety of construction careers. Hosted during the first two weeks of June, the camp targets teenagers and young adults between the ages of 15 and 20.
Brooks Peterson, a construction management instructor at M State and an organizer for the camp, noted that the primary goal is to spark interest among young people who might be curious about the industry.
“The main part of the camp is to try to get these students to, well, maybe ignite a spark inside them to explore a career in the trades,” Peterson said.
Addressing the ‘Brain Drain’
The push for youth involvement comes at a vital time for the construction sector. Aaron, a local builder with Kochman Brothers Homes, highlighted the stark reality facing the industry: a rapidly retiring workforce and a severe lack of young professionals stepping in to fill those vacancies.
For years, the educational emphasis has heavily favored four-year university degrees, leaving trades like plumbing, electrical work, and framing desperate for new talent.
“We’re going to have this brain drain basically of we’ve got these people that are 40-plus in the industry, and they have all this knowledge, and they’re getting ready to retire,” Aaron explained. However, he noted a recent shift, with high schools increasingly embracing two-year and trade tracks as viable, lucrative career paths with strong returns on investment.
Inside the Camp Experience
The Herdina Construction Camp provides a comprehensive overview of the building process. To ensure personalized instruction, the camp caps enrollment at 24 students, who are then divided into two groups of 12.
While one group focuses on classroom elements—such as drafting, estimating, and building codes—the other group heads into the field for hands-on experience. The students are taught by professional volunteers from the local industry, allowing for a highly favorable ratio of just three to four students per instructor.
Throughout the camp, students are introduced to multiple disciplines, including:
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Electrical and plumbing
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Heating and framing
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Roofing and masonry
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Door and window installation
Building for the Community
Over the past decade, the camp’s curriculum has evolved significantly. While students historically built simple 4×8 sheds or “pods,” they now construct tangible projects for the local community. Recent camps have built warming houses and concession stands, giving students a permanent point of pride.
“When they drive around and they see, ‘Hey, we built that,’ that’s a big part of the camp too,” Aaron said.
Aaron himself is a testament to the camp’s full-circle impact. He attended the program as a student in 2003 and has returned to volunteer and help run projects since 2015.
Registration Information
The camp is open to any interested student aged 15 to 20, regardless of their location. While most attendees hail from North Dakota and Minnesota, students have traveled from as far as Rochester and the Twin Cities to participate.
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Dates: The first two weeks of June
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Schedule: Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
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Cost: $250
Those interested in registering or learning more can visit the Herdina Construction Camp Facebook page or contact the local Building Industry Association (BIA).