In 2018, an Iowa City television network covered a story of a high school group’s student-built home. The story included teen perspectives on why students don’t consider construction work a viable career option. One of its high school graduate new hires said, “A lot of the kids are just not interested in building. More are interested in becoming a doctor.”
Earning while learning is a big incentive for many high school teens. But what about the kids from families that are eagerly providing them with tech toys and college incentives? Maybe the solution is to grab their interest at a younger age.
Dig World and Construction Work: Heavy Machinery Toys
Leave it to Texans to come up with Dig World, a 3+-acre construction education theme park in a Houston suburb. Founder Jacob Robinson got the idea from his child’s love of dump trucks and the heavy machinery used in construction work. His company, 1 Stone Solutions of Houston, provides construction cleaning and custodial services. His vision is to open 10 other Dig World sites throughout the U.S.
Some of the solo and adult-accompanied rideable rigs include:
- Cat 303.5 Mini-Excavators – Dirt-digging at its best
- Mini-Ex Knock Down – Skillfully knock down pins with a full-size Caterpillar 302 Mini-Excavator
- Mini-Ex Pond Fishing – Retrieve objects using a full-size Caterpillar 306 Mini-Excavator
- Skid Steers – Full-size Caterpillar 236D3 Skid Steer Loader around a “windy track”
Jacobs is an alumnus of A&M University. Its Department of Construction Science provided informational signage and materials for Dig World visitors. The park’s March 2022 opening went off as scheduled, but the Dig World team quickly realized they were under-equipped to handle the crowd capacity. They scheduled another opening.
“We were optimistic that the machines we had would prove to be enough, but the wait times were too long…we cannot be satisfied with that. We want to operate a park that is flawless in every way,” said Jacobs.
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