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Careers in Construction Month: Why Young People Should Consider a Career in Construction

By Peter Kray posted 10-28-2022 02:13 PM

  

October is Careers in Construction Month, a month-long celebration of the rewarding and well-compensated career paths available in the building trades industry. 

According to the Construction Careers Foundation, “With a projected one million craft professionals needed by 2023, the construction industry is full of long-term career opportunities for young people interested in learning a skill set.” https://constructioncareers.org/celebrate-careers-in-construction-month/ 

The foundation reports that this year brings an added urgency to workforce development in the wake of the economic shutdown and adds that in Minnesota alone, the demand for new homes is skyrocketing and contractors are looking for reliable union-vested trades workers. 

“This is a pivotal moment where labor, opportunity and a career pathway will align for thousands of Minnesotans,” said Sarah Lechowich senior director of the foundation, which coordinates Construction Career Pathways, a statewide initiative to attract more young people into Minnesota’s construction industry. “If a student is 18 years of age and expected to graduate (or will earn a GED), they can already apply for apprenticeship opportunities.”  

Dean Bortz FCSI, CDT® CCPR®, couldn’t agree more, and offered his own top three reasons why he thinks young people across the country should consider a career in the construction industry:  

  1. You can earn in excess of $100K/annually working hard and smart while continuously learning and teaching others.  
  1. Learn by doing - attitude is everything.  Where else from Day 1 can you get paid well, benefits and a retirement plan other than in an apprenticeship program  
  1. A college degree NOT required, and you can earn credentials, certification, and performance bonuses.  Most employers have tuition reimbursement and will pay for at least an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Construction Management. 

The Let’s Build Camp for Girls in Lehigh Valley, Pa., is focused on addressing that labor shortfall by introducing more teenage girls and young women to the professional opportunities they can find in the architecture, engineering, construction, and engineering (AECO) industry. 

Co-founded by AECO professionals Kristen Fallon and Jon Lattin, the camp’s goal is to provide girls with a hands-on introduction to the building trade, where women represent less than 10 percent of the AECO workforce. 

“Most of the time AECO jobs are not spotlighted, especially for girls,” Fallon said in an interview with CSI. “We work to put that spotlight on those opportunities. We support them to come to camp, teach to a specific skillset, and show that there is a place for girls in all aspects of this industry.”  

https://www.csiresources.org/blogs/csi-editorial-staff/2021/07/27/lets-build-camp-for-girls-is-helping-empower-women 

 What opportunities do you see for young people in the construction industry? And what were the key factors that led you to choose a career in construction? Log in to the CSI Connect Community and share your thoughts. https://www.csiresources.org/discussion/why-young-people-should-consider-a-career-in-the-construction-industry#bm77f71156-8a72-41f2-b08e-ac7cdc4a0900

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