Rainy Skills Test at Comerica Park

Hundreds of Detroit job seekers turned up outside Comerica Park on Saturday, May 23, for a construction hiring event that went ahead in the rain, according to ClickOnDetroit. The event, called the “Make the Cut” Carpenter Combine, was organized by the Northern Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters and promoted with the Detroit Tigers and Olympia Entertainment. Detroit at Work described it as a 10-station, hands-on course connecting participants directly with union contractors hiring on the spot. ### Why was a ballpark hosting a hiring event? Comerica Park was used as the site for a live trade-skills tryout rather than a standard job fair. In a May 14 promotional piece carried by ClickOnDetroit, the carpenters’ council said the event would open the ballpark’s front lots to people interested in skilled-trades work, with no experience required. (clickondetroit.com) Steve Purchase of the Northern Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters said the format was meant to let applicants demonstrate skills directly. “Instead of trying to sell yourself to a contractor that you can be a great carpenter, now you can show them what you can do on a course,” Purchase said, according to ClickOnDetroit. (clickondetroit.com) ### What did job seekers actually do there? Detroit at Work said participants were asked to “show your skills” through a 10-station course. The Detroit Tigers’ event page said the combine was designed to let people “showcase your skills in front of union contractors ready to hire on the spot,” and advertised pay and benefits including healthcare, pension and retirement. (clickondetroit.com) ClickOnDetroit reported that the stations included tasks such as driving nails and scribing drywall. Purchase compared the format to a sports tryout, saying the course gave workers a chance to stand out in front of employers. ### Who was the event aimed at? John Perkins of the carpenters’ council said the event was open broadly. “This event is for anyone, all ages, with experience or no experience,” Perkins said in the May 14 ClickOnDetroit article. “We want to make sure that the opportunities are not just exposed but accessible.” (clickondetroit.com) (detroitatwork.com) Rian English-Barnhill, also with the council, said before the event that organizers were “trending towards 1,000 RSVPs” and had moved it into District Detroit to widen access. The same article said younger attendees could take part in Schools and Tools activities including virtual welding and framing a mock wall in a mobile learning lab. (clickondetroit.com) ### Did the rain change the turnout? ClickOnDetroit reported on May 23 that the event proceeded despite wet conditions and described “hundreds of Detroiters” arriving ready to work. The station said job seekers demonstrated trade skills live in front of contractors looking to hire outside the stadium. (clickondetroit.com) The Patch item that surfaced the story linked to that same report, framing the rain-soaked combine as a career opportunity for Detroiters. Patch’s post did not add new reporting beyond directing readers to the local television coverage. ### What happens after a one-day combine like this? (clickondetroit.com) The Detroit Tigers page said contractors were prepared to hire “on the spot,” while Detroit at Work promoted the event as a direct connection between job seekers and union employers. The council’s organizers also said the only key requirement for participants was to show up ready to work, with safety gear supplied on site apart from work boots. (msn.com) Detroit at Work lists the next hiring event on its calendar for June 1, 2026, at Crowell Recreation Center on Lahser in Detroit. That event is scheduled to include city employers and Project Clean Slate, according to the agency’s events page. (detroitatwork.com) (mlb.com)