Betsy Bloom/Daily News photo Student Nathan Conery, center, waits as Caleb Swickler, in back to left, operates a spider crane to lower down a beam taken off a training structure at the Laborers Local 1329 Joint Apprenticeship Training Center in Iron Mountain.

IRON MOUNTAIN — A unique program is giving two dozen area students a six-week taste of the construction trades.

The Building Trades Summer Camp opened July 8 at the Laborers Local 1329 Joint Apprenticeship Training Center, W8008 S. U.S. 2 in Iron Mountain, with 24 students enrolled in the program.

The goal of the camp is to line up the next generation of construction workers to replace an aging skilled labor pool in the U.P. and northern Wisconsin, said Michael J. Smith, executive director of the Upper Peninsula Construction Council.

“So they can get an idea of what a trade would look like and if it is something they can do as a career choice,” Smith said, later adding, “We want to retain as many young people (in the region) as possible … it’s an investment.”

This is the third year the Upper Peninsula Construction Council has organized the camp in partnership with Upper Michigan Works! and area trade unions. The first was in Gladstone, the second in Marquette. The UPCC plans to rotate the program among its seven training centers — three in Delta County, four in Marquette County and one in Iron Mountain — to give as many students as possible a chance to experience the training, since participants have to live within 45 minutes of the site.

While the Iron Mountain camp this summer was open to ages 14 to 17 — incoming freshmen through seniors — the majority of those taking part are not old enough to drive, Smith said. So they had to make sure the program could work for parents’ schedules as well.

The camp has a 7 to 11:30 a.m. day shift and a noon to 4 p.m. afternoon shift. Students and parents choose which period is the best fit for them, Smith said.

This camp has 24 students, only a few fewer than the previous years. They are broken into groups of three that rotate among different stations each day, trying each trade.

The camp opened with a workshop on interviewing and resume writing, followed by courses on financial literacy and MIOSHA safety.

Each week features a different union trade: first week, Laborers Local Union 1329, or LiUNA, plus Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local 2; second week, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 906 and Painters 1011; third week, Operating Engineers 324, Ironworkers 8 and Boilermakers 169; fourth week, Sheet Metal Workers 7 and Plumbers, Pipefitters & HVAC 111; and the fifth week through the end, Carpenters and Millwrights 1510.

Each union sends instructors and staff who volunteer to help guide the students through training. “We didn’t have to try hard to recruit them,” Smith said.

“They’re here planning for their future,” said Ryan Stern of Marquette, field representative with the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council. He helped develop the camp with Smith.

Wednesday, during the camp’s third week, focused on operating heavy equipment. One area had a spider crane and 6-foot-high metal training frame the students assembled and then took apart, learning how to securely attach straps to each beam before using arm gestures to direct the crane operator in lifting and moving the piece. Though on ground level, it was meant to simulate work on a high-rise building, Smith said. The students even had a turn at the crane controls.

Another station had students using a larger Broderson crane to swing a tractor tire and large metal object. Nearby, students scooped and dumped dirt with a mini-excavator.

While they do not receive school credit, the students do leave with three separate certificates they can list on a resume and will be considered if they seek an apprenticeship, Smith said.

They’re also paid $12 an hour, with a $200 bonus if they complete the entire six weeks.

In addition to skills, the students develop habits such as adhering to a schedule — the expectation is if they’re not 15 minutes early for their shift, “they’re late,” Smith said — learning teamwork and doing the proper prep and planning before starting the day’s work.

They become familiar with what a career in the construction industry can offer — good pay, benefits, lots of opportunities, Stern said.

Mike Pasco of Marquette, an instructor with Ironworkers Local 8, said the camp has been a learning experience for him and the other professionals on site as well. They’ve had to remind themselves this is all new for these students, so they need more patience and attention.

“Some of these kids are more nervous than having a big buck in their scope on opening day,” Pasco said. But he added, “They listen, they pay attention, they hustle when they need to. I think they’re enjoying it.”

Yes, they are, the students said.

“It’s really fun and interesting to get to know each trade,” said Allexandria Brown of Felch Township, who will be a sophomore this coming school year at North Dickinson County High School. The 15-year-old, one of seven girls at the camp, operated the mini-excavator Wednesday but said she really liked being in the big crane the day before.

Brown’s stepfather works for M.J. Electric and regularly brings home trucks and equipment from his job, which she said “intrigued her” about the trades. While the college track has been stressed, Brown said she wants to know all her career options.

Noah Trulock, 16, a Kingsford High School student, said he was leaning toward being a heavy equipment operator after getting time in the crane and excavator Tuesday. He’s always favored working outdoors with his hands, he said.

“It’s a very good program,” Trulock said. “You get to do a lot of hands-on stuff, learn a lot of things.”

Ben Cowen, 15, also a Kingsford High School student, said he’s still trying to decide what he might do in the future, so signed up “to learn all of the different trades.” He’s looking forward to the carpentry week, as he’s already done some woodwork at home.

This was the second year for Krystle Schnell, an instructor with Operating Engineers Local 324. She came from Middleville, Michigan, downstate to help with the camp, which she called “an incredible opportunity to be exposed to trades.”

Said Schnell, “I 100 percent believe in what this program does.”