KENT—What can be so hard about sawing a piece of wood with a handsaw. You just take ahold of the handle and saw away—right?
No.
That is exactly what Eric Clingen of Tarrytown Woodworks in Tarrytown, N.Y., demonstrated to 9-year-old Nicholas Hillyer Oct. 12 during SPARK, the annual trades exposition held on the grounds of the Connecticut Antiques Machinery Association and the Eric Sloane Museum at 31 and 31B Kent Cornwall Road.
Clingen instructed the boy in the correct way to hold the saw, how to use a template to get his cut in just the right place and how to use the thumb of his free hand to stabilize the blade.
He demonstrated how to start the cut so it is clean and how to use a rocking motion of his body to move the saw through the wood.
“It’s almost like breathing,” he advised the boy.
Clingen, who restores antique furniture, was just one of about 60 tradesmen and women who participated in SPARK, formerly Touch a Trade, the annual program that lets young people—and a few older folks—explore different professions in the building trades.
“There are 30 different experiences here today and about 60 tradespeople,” said Mason Lord, a Kent builder and remodeler who founded TradesUp. “We had 411 people pre-registered to come and take part. We are trying to ignite a spark in kids of being creative and problem-solving.”
He noted that many schools have cut industrial arts programs and that children don’t get a chance to experience trades where they can work with their hands. There is an emphasis on college education that pushes students in other directions to the detriment of producing a trained workforce.
It was reported in 2022 that, despite the need for more skilled tradesmen, high school enrollment in construction courses had flatlined at just 1.3 percent. With fewer people entering the field and older workers retiring, the workforce is not being replenished quickly enough.
The blog PRT Staffing reported that the number of construction workers ages 25 to 54 fell 8 percent between 2012 and 2022 and that more than 40 percent of construction workforce growth is comprised of low-skilled laborers.
These low-skilled laborers represent just 19 percent of the workforce, while the share of older workers retiring is soaring. One in five of construction workers is older than 55 and moving toward an average retirement age of 61.
The youngsters attending SPARK were enthusiastic. Eleven-year-old Guthrie Oat of Patterson, N.Y., was attending his third event and has been enrolled in every one of the smaller workshops offered during the year. This year, those workshops included plumbing, dry wall and painting, and an introduction to carpentry.
“I like it because it is hands-on,” he said. “It’s all very fun.”
“We have had children as young as 5 using power saws,” said Lord, adding that instructors are closely guiding the activities to ensure safety. Lord said one parent reported that her child looks forward to SPARK more than he does Christmas.
Most of the children attending SPARK and the workshops are between 5 and 11 years old and are often girls. TradesUp statistics show that 60 percent of the children are in this youngest demographic and that, while only 9 percent of construction workers are female, girls make up 39 percent of the SPARK attendees.
Among the many activities on the field were 11-year-old Peter Mirren learning how to use a paint sprayer; Sebastian Varley, 8, using a draw knife; young Nael Ferrer learning to use a coping saw to cut a fish shape; and Carter Maturo, 7, and his brother, Levi, 4, learning how to use an electric drill.
