More than 800 high school students from across northwest Ohio spent Thursday, October 15, trying out careers in the skilled trades at Build My Future, a one-day construction career event held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wood County Fairgrounds in Bowling Green. The Home Builders Association of Greater Toledo and 34 partners welcomed the students for a day built around doing the work, not just hearing about it.
Instead of sitting through presentations, students rotated through interactive learning labs led by skilled-trades and building-industry businesses. The hands-on activities included immersive learning labs, equipment operation and educational displays, giving teenagers a chance to handle real tools and tasks alongside the professionals who do that work every day in the region.
The mission behind the event is direct. Organizers describe it as working “to encourage and motivate the youth in and around northwest Ohio to pursue a professional career in the skilled trades while promoting and raising awareness of the home building industry.” For an industry that builds the region’s homes, the event doubles as both career exploration for students and an introduction to the businesses hiring in their own communities.
That connection to employers is a central part of the day. Organizers say the partners taking part in Build My Future can also provide immediate job opportunities, so a student who discovers an interest in a trade during the event can learn, on the spot, what the next steps toward actual work could look like after graduation.
The scale of the turnout — over 800 students in a single day — shows how much interest there is among northwest Ohio teenagers in learning what a trades career involves before they commit to a path after high school. Spending a school day operating equipment and working through learning labs lets students test their interest with their hands, rather than guessing from a brochure or a classroom talk.
The 2026 event drew support from sponsors across the building industry, including KSI Kitchen & Bath, Select Stone Company, 84 Lumber, GenoaBank, Mavillino Custom Homes, Maumee Supply, Moline Builders, FastenMaster, Louisville Title Agency, Yoder Brothers and Lumbermen’s. Together with the Home Builders Association of Greater Toledo and the 34 partners, the sponsors helped staff and supply the labs that kept students busy throughout the five-hour event.
Schools that want their students to take part next year can find information about the event at buildmyfutureohio.com, where details on getting involved are posted. For the students who filled the Wood County Fairgrounds on October 15, the day offered a practical first look at the skilled trades — and, for some, a possible first step toward a career building northwest Ohio.
Photo: Wapcaplet, CC BY-SA 3.0