Local students get hands-on learning experience at job shadow day

Team members showcase variety of energy biz jobs to middle schoolers

Oscar Vasquez intently watches UED Foreman Gilbert De La Rosa use an orange remote control box to maneuver the EZ Hauler’s tank-like treads toward La Villita. Vasquez learns the EZ Hauler can drill holes for utility poles and has a crane to set the poles into place. And though it moves like a tank, the EZ Hauler can fit through a 3-ft. wide gate to carry an 800 pound transformer into a backyard.

Vasquez, an 8th grade student at Rhodes Middle School, was impressed the EZ Hauler could be operated like the remote-controlled cars he’s played with at home.

“I really loved the experience of seeing this technology up close,” said Vasquez. “Someday I hope to have a job working with remote-controlled technology.”

Vasquez was one of more than 100 students from Kingsborough and Rhodes middle schools that we hosted at our job shadow day earlier this month. The event was part of SA Works’ City-Wide Job Shadow Day. Check out this video to hear more about our job shadow day:

[youtube_sc url=”https://youtu.be/QU4gy3El5Cc”]

Team members from several departments hosted nine stations with activities that highlighted the variety of jobs at our company. Each group took turns rotating to a different station. Our linemen gave students an up-close look at a bucket truck. Also, students tried on safety gloves, hard hats and learned about tools our linemen use every day. Meanwhile, Fleet Management demonstrated how our mechanics work on bucket trucks. Journeyman Mechanic Roger Gonzales, who has worked in our fleet department for 26 years, showed students how our mechanics work on a brake system. The team also showed them the inside of a tire and talked about other equipment while emphasizing safety as their top priority.

Groups also got a chance to play Career IQ Feud to test what they learned about recruiting jobs after listening to a quick presentation from People & Culture. Power Quality & Reliability talked about electrical safety and gave students a live demonstration of an electrical arc.

“I liked that they were able to show us what electricity looks like and sounds like because those are things we can’t see and hear by ourselves,” said Julian Cavazos, an 8th grade student of Kingsborough Middle School.

SA Works of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce invited more than 50 other employers to participate in the City-Wide Job Shadow Day, including Coca-Cola, Rackspace and Whataburger.  It was the first time in more than 10 years that such an event has taken place for students in our community.

William Davis, a technology teacher at Rhodes Middle School, was glad to offer students a hands-on learning experience at the job shadow day.

“With the emphasis on testing, it’s hard to get the students out of the classroom for this kind of experience,” said Davis. “We were very happy to be there. The knowledge the students gained gives them more of a hunger to learn.”