Passion for power tools: 13-year-old aims for construction career

Normally a kid’s Christmas list would include toys and games, but not Darragh O’Regan’s list; this 13-year-old has set his sights on work boots, a high-visibility vest and a power drill.

He’s even spent his birthday wishes on vouchers at AL Thompson’s to get his hands on the essentials he needs to pursue his career in construction.

“I bought drills. I own two handheld spray paints, which I use [to] spray paint different stuff… I like painting stuff with them,” Darragh said in a recent interview with the Cayman Compass.

It has not been an easy road for the Caymanian teen after having survived a life-altering traffic collision when he was 8, but the St Ignatius student’s love for construction has put him on a path to achieve his dreams.

He is currently training at Inspire Cayman in Grand Harbour and is the youngest student there. Recently, he put the skills he’s acquired to the test building a Christmas tree using recycled wood.

“It took me a few weeks… I built it. I screwed it. I painted it twice and I took it home and it’s now mine,” Darragh said, as he shared that his tree already has a spot on the patio at his home.

In fact, his tree was so well done, he already has eight orders for trees from those who have seen his handiwork. Now, there is no slowing him down as he dreams of eventually starting his own business.

Construction in the blood

Darragh’s affection for construction was natural for him as his father Daniel is an architect with Chalmers Gibbs Architects, and his mother Fiona is an electrical designer.

“He has seen both of us work in the construction industry from the get-go. So, he has seen an interest in having a career that actually produces something and having a tangible product at the end of it. To be able to drive past… to say ‘That’s Mom’s building’ or ‘That’s Dad’s building’ or [see] the jobs that we have worked,” Fiona said.

From early on, she said, her son demonstrated a love for construction and would always be interested in heavy equipment and power tools.

“His route has always been the bigger the machine the better. That’s always been his choice from very, very small,” she said.

So, when Darragh began struggling academically at school, she said, as a family they looked to Inspire to help him pursue a career in construction.

“Just because you’re not the most academic doesn’t mean there isn’t a place in a viable, valuable career for these kids. Having an outlet here has brought relief to us, knowing that he can achieve. It’s so important to get certified and having some place that will give certification if the school academics don’t work out; there are alternatives,” she said.

Fiona said seeing her son progress and be excited as he learns is a “huge comfort” for the family.

“Not just on a career perspective, but just for his own personal happiness, to know that there is a sense of an achievement no matter how great or small those achievements are. He is achieving and he is progressing, he is moving forward,” she said.

Path to certification

Michael Myles, general manager at Inspire Cayman, said typically the training centre does not accept students below the age of 16, but welcoming Darragh to the institution has been a “joy.”

“While he’s only 13 years old, he wants to do loads of things within the construction industry, and it also helps that his parents are also professionals within that industry,” Myles said.

He added that over the next two or three years, Darragh can concentrate on obtaining certifications, so that “when he hits 15 or 16 years old, he’s a craft professional”.

He said, given Darragh’s age and the fact that he is working with tools, there is an extra level of care and attention that has to paid to him while training.

However, he said, the young teen follows instructions well and knows not to do anything unsupervised in the workshop.

He said the changes he has seen in Darragh have been inspiring.

“I think he has a heart of goal. I think he’s a diamond in a rough, and we are happy to just be a part of his journey,” he said.

Darragh is getting one-on-one attention as the books are very advanced for him, but the Inspire team is sitting with him going through them page by page with him.

“He’s finally getting the picture that we are kind of journeying with him at this point and that’s been the phenomenal part of working with him,” Myles said. “He’s an easy kid to get along with, he has respect. He shows up on time, he’s eager to learn and that’s all we ask for. I don’t care how many times he fails, I care about the times that he picks himself up and tries hard.”

Myles said he is working with Inclusion Cayman to offer training to students who may not be academically inclined but are in need of training and job skills.

Darragh is doing the core curriculum programme at the training centre, and Myles said he would like to see him certified in at least two programmes, and maybe become the youngest certified heavy equipment operator.

The teen is training on the institution’s Telestar vehicle simulator, which he says he loves the most.

“I drove a telescopic handler and in one exercise I had to … do an obstacle course. Some [exercises] were in driving, some were in reverse, and I did [it],” he said, adding that his favourite was the telescopic excavator.

Darragh said he wants to be a heavy equipment operator and operate his own backhoe some day.

He said he loves power tools and learning about it has been great.

“[I used] a circular saw, a reciprocating saw, a miter saw, an angle grinder, a nail gun, a drill… [my favourite] is the angle grinder, because I got to grind metal,” he said happily.

Darragh said he has created other projects with tools such as bird houses, planter boxes and house numbers, but building his Christmas tree was the best.

“It was fun because I got to saw it altogether and I screwed it. I used drills and I did other stuff. I added finishing touches,” he said, adding that he was “mind blown” when he saw the final product.

He said when he shows his friends his work they like it, and he is encouraging more young people to get into construction.

However, he advised, “You would have to try the simulator to get certified.”