F E AT U R E Building Tomorrow Today: How You Can Shape the Next Generation of Craft Professionals by Nicole Needles, NCCER
The construction profession has been a generational and long-standing career path for many families. Others have found success working their way up from apprentice to journey-level to owning their own company. Using creativity, employing critical thinking skills and working with their hands to make something tangible leaves craft professionals feeling accomplished at the end of the day. Despite all the clear benefits and lucrative careers in construction, there continues to be a labor shortage, with projections of remaining a problem as the next generation enters the workforce. In fact, the industry is facing an estimated 2 million skilled worker shortage through 2025. Within the next five years, 19.3% of seasoned construction workers will retire, and 40.1% within the next 15, leading to an extreme shortage of
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incoming workers with the skills needed to fill the gap. Not only is Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2009, facing higher rates of unemployment compared to generations past at their age, they are primarily working in the restaurant and travel industries. With the hurdles of difficulty finding employment and the lack of awareness about construction careers, it makes sense that there are many underrated and missed opportunities for young people in construction. So, where do we go from here? Build Your Future (BYF) is striving to bridge this gap and bring awareness to construction and the opportunities it provides. By showing students the opportunities available, young people are led to their dream job that they may not have known they wanted. Since 1997, BYF has led the charge of spreading the word about construction T H E
careers. Encouraging industry and education professionals to do the same, BYF provides career education resources and materials needed to reach the younger generation. We can all play a part in that. With resources provided by BYF, it’s easier than ever to promote careers in construction. On the Industry Professionals section on the website, there are various recruitment and education resources. In particular, the Student Outreach document is a comprehensive guide on how to connect with teachers and faculty at schools and reach students at career day exhibitions. Various other resources include the blog, featuring content for industry, education and students; video resources, highlight successful craft professionals; and a map of the craft demand in each state in the U.S., which is an eye-opener to the skills gap in the industry.
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