KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — More than 100 high school students from across East Tennessee competed in the Builders Exchange of Tennessee (BXTN) second annual Construction Trades Competition at the Jacob Building on Thursday.
It consisted of teams from high schools that competed in tasks related to carpentry, plumbing and electrical trades. Teams were also created by pairing students with others from different schools, giving them the feeling of having to work with people outside of their usual crowd, like at a job site.
The competitors were judged on precision, neatness, safety, efficiency, code enforcement and organization. Students were given some time after the drawing and before the competition began to collect their thoughts and prepare for the tasks. They were also given the materials and resources to complete any necessary build.
"They're not just building buildings — they're building relationships," said Ray Sexton, the president of BXTN.
The sounds of hammering and electrical screwdrivers filled the inside of the Jacob building during the competition. Sexton said he believes it provided a head start toward building a career.
"Learning to do things for themself, in a professional manner, and with a deadline to get something done," he said.
Students from 14 schools in East Tennessee worked in teams. Halls High School was among them, and so were recruiters looking for future employees.
"As an instructor, it does make you proud to see your students, who you've worked with, some of these students we've had for two or three years in our program," said Jeff McMurry, an instructor at Halls High School. "It's awesome to know that our students have a huge field to go into. The opportunities are absolutely endless with trade behind them."