With the Philadelphia School District eliminating nearly all skilled trades- and construction-related curriculum from their middle schools, the Wagner Middle School will host an important introduction to the trades for 150 students on Saturday, Dec. 16, during a 3-hour workshop from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The program will be run by Philadelphia’s only middle school construction trades instructor, Evin Jarrett, who created the technical skills program for middle school students in Mayfair, Pennsylvania. The supplies will be provided by facilities management firm NEST, which is based in South Jersey, New Jersey.

The students will learn about electrical, plumbing and other important skilled trades in high demand nationwide. The principal of Wagner Middle School contacted Jarrett about inspiring their students in the same way he has inspired kids in his school in Mayfair.

Jarrett and the leadership at NEST are on a mission to combat the labor crisis facing the skilled trades in the U.S. They want to elevate the skilled trades as high-paying, honorable and, often, heroic career paths.

Associated Builders and Contractors reported that the construction industry will need to attract an estimated 546,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2023 to meet the demand for labor.