Fixing the skilled labor shortage

To anyone working in the construction trades, it’s no surprise that there’s a shortage of skilled workers that has been going on for years and could get even worse.

According to a survey by the Associated General Contractors of America, 74 percent of construction firms report they are having trouble finding skilled carpenters, electricians, welders and plumbers. To make matters worse, many existing construction professionals are nearing retirement.

“Twenty percent of professionals engaged in the trades are going to retire within the next two to four years,” said Jennifer Wilkerson, director of marketing and public relations at the National Center for Construction Education and Research, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting workforce development programs for construction firms. “The average age of welders and electricians is 48 and 52 years old.”

That’s why the center is making a marketing push to attract more people – particularly younger workers – to the field with its “Build Your Future. Build America” program, making a recruitment pitch about the opportunities in the construction field.

It requires changing attitudes and preconceived notions held by parents, kids and schools about the industry.

‘A bad rap’

“Vocational education has gotten a bad rap,” said Diane Greene with the Build Your Future program. “We have to educate people about the opportunities that exist. The industry has a terrible image. You have to be smart to work in the field, and it’s a career where you can earn a good living.”

“There is an image problem that it’s a dirty job,” added Wilkerson. “We have to demonstrate through the use of technology that this is skilled labor. We have forgotten to teach our kids how to fix things and build things.”

As part of the program, the center holds career days and fairs throughout the country to expose high school kids to demonstrations and hands-on exercises to learn what these jobs are all about.

In May, the N.C. Department of Transportation in collaboration with the group had 800 kids participate in an event at the Cabarrus County fairgrounds where contractors had a chance to speak with students about what they do and love, and the kids got a chance to use simulators and “touch, feel and move heavy equipment,” said Wilkerson. The NCCER is planning another fair for the fall in the Charlotte area.

“Too much emphasis has been placed on getting a four-year degree,” said Bill Stricker, vice president of professional development at the Carolinas Associated General Contractors.

The crafts are sophisticated and not a hard-labor type of industry, according to Stricker. As equipment becomes increasingly computer operated, workers need solid math and science skills. He believes schools should do a better job of letting kids with science, technology, engineering and math skills consider construction opportunities.

But the fault doesn’t lie just with schools.

“The construction industry hasn’t done a good job of letting the public know where the workforce opportunities are,” Stricker said. “In Europe, there is more emphasis on skilled crafts and the trades are viewed as something to be proud of.”

Locally, Stricker said, the Carolinas AGC is promoting the “Heroes for Hire” program, trying to pair returning vets to contracting positions. Many of these veterans trained in the military to be electricians and mechanics, so they have a strong base of education already and the transition is fairly easy, he said.

The Carolinas AGC is also making a renewed push for apprenticeship programs that in recent years have faded away. Today, there’s been a resurgence in these programs as more contractors become interested in participating.

Middle college

Central Piedmont Community College has for years been training adults in academic programs including air conditioning, heating, refrigeration and electrical work. About five years ago, it began offering course work in construction management, training workers for careers in project management and estimating or serving as superintendent or skilled foreman.

Starting next year, the school will open “a middle college” for high school students, in partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, to expose young people and recruit them to the trades.

“We’re really excited about it,” said Steve Corriher, director of construction management at the school. The students will earn credits towards an associate’s degree through the program, which will eventually enroll 400 pupils.

“It gives us a chance to get students into the trades and helps their parents save money on education,” he added.

Corriher said the school already does outreach to high schools in a number of other programs. With Olympic High School in Charlotte, they partner to help students with Habitat for Humanity projects, providing assistance with wiring and carpentry: “starting the seeds about career choices” is how Corriher sees it.

During the school year, CPCC holds field days for high schools to visit so students get hands-on exposure to what it really takes to do heating and air conditioning, carpentry and electrical work.

The exposure is for teachers, too. Recently, the college held an event, known as “STEMersion,” on campus for 50 CMS teachers to demonstrate how much math, science and technology is involved in the programs offered at the Harper Campus in southwest Charlotte.

Students enrolled at the college get real-life experience through a cooperative system in which they work for a firm and earn credits. Corriher said these co-op programs are used for “measurement learning outcomes,” evaluating what is learned beyond the classroom. There are also initiatives based on a European model where students come to class while they’re already working.

Despite efforts to get the word out, Corriher laments that right now the trade programs like those offered at CPCC are losing a lot of kids because they’re not connecting early on with kids who “want to work with their hands.” In fact, most of the current students enrolled in the construction programs at the college already have a four-year degree.

“There is a disconnect,” he admits. “These are great careers. They’re rewarding. They pay well and have intrinsic value.”