NEGAUNEE, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Upper Peninsula’s next leaders in construction went head-to-head Friday morning at the Carpenters & Millwrights Training Center for the 2026 U.P. Construction & Welding Skills Challenge.
From 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., teams of construction students were tasked with building a pre-designed structure, judged at every aspect in their process. In the welding area, 54 welding students from various schools and career tech centers were tested in different techniques, in their own individual chances at a title.
In total, 7 school districts took part in this year’s competition. Students have enjoyed the annual competition since it began in 2007, getting the whole day off of school to participate.
“It’s really fun, it’s good stuff to learn and compete with each other,” said Westwood High School Junior, Connor Gregorich. “My favorite classes are the construction classes, so missing a whole day to come do this is pretty cool.”
“This is just a great day to really showcase everything that we have to offer here in the Upper Peninsula,” said UPCC Executive Director, Mike Smith.
Each year, The Upper Peninsula Construction Council is assisted by different local union organizations, including IBEW Local 906 and Operating Engineers Local 324 to help judge, educate, and ensure safety during the competition.
The competition wraps up with a trophy for the best team, and individual medals to the top three. This year, the top three winning teams will also receive a banner to hang in their CTE classrooms.
