KENT—The Connecticut Antique Machinery Association, 31 Kent Cornwall Road, will host a Touch a Trade Day Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The goal of the event is to offer youth and adults the opportunity to safely participate in trades and crafts with their own hands. Planned activities include carpentry, woodworking, masonry, welding, plumbing and electrical wiring.
There will be local food and music as well as arts and crafts and pumpkin painting for younger attendees.
Touch a Trade is an initiative to help address the increasing shortage of tradesmen as older tradespeople begin to retire and fewer youths enter the workforce. According to a 2019 survey by the Associated General Contractors of America, 80 percent of construction firms reported difficulty in filling the craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce. Similarly, a survey by the National Association of Home Builders found 82 percent of respondents expected labor shortages to be their top issue in 2019.
