STERLING, VA — Sterling, Virginia, area middle school girls and boys completed the 4th Annual TRF Camp Build, trading a week of summer vacation for hands-on construction skills and a free set of professional-grade tools. The event, held at Rosendin Electric, introduced middle school girls and boys to skills used in the trades through activities including building lamps, sculptures, and birdhouses, while exposing them to career opportunities in construction.
The annual week-long event is run by The Rosendin Foundation. Each year, The Rosendin Foundation's organizers recruit internal volunteer teams and local trade volunteers to teach students how to use professional-grade tools to saw, drill, hammer, pour concrete, wire electricity, solder, paint, and explore Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology.
TRF Camp Build, held annually in five cities, directly addresses a pressing workforce challenge facing the construction industry. Despite this growth, the industry faces a tight labor market driven by massive economic development and high demand for skilled trades workers. Because young people start forming career ideas in middle school, The Rosendin Foundation partnered with local construction volunteers to develop Camp Build.
“I’ve been an electrician for more than 30 years, and I can’t overstate the importance of the team environment Camp Build creates,” said Michael Murphy, Director on The Rosendin Foundation Board. “One of the most rewarding parts of Camp Build is watching the students grow throughout the week — from feeling nervous and unsure to building confidence, forming friendships, and encouraging one another. They leave with practical skills they can use for a lifetime, but they also learn what it means to be a good teammate and a good human.”
TRF Camp Build is made possible through the support of Rosendin Electric Inc. and Modular Power Solutions, alongside partners at Milwaukee Tool, DeWalt, and The Swinerton Foundation, as well as sponsors including Border States, Graybar, United Van Rentals, Sherwin-Williams, and IBEW Local 26.
