The skilled labor crisis is an issue plaguing the entire construction industry and is an issue that is showing no signs of letting up in the near future. In fact, as construction trades employ an aging workforce, the need to increase recruitment and hiring, particularly among younger individuals, will become a larger issue. On a local level, many trade organizations have begun hosting career days at high schools with greater frequency to entice high-school-aged individuals to consider careers in the construction industry. The Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry hosted one such initiative recently, speaking with students studying construction at Minuteman High School, Patch reports.
The hands-on, practical nature of Youth Remodeling Career Day made it especially valuable for the students, as did the chance for them to speak one-to-one with representatives from prominent companies specializing in all aspects of remodeling. Seventeen other schools took part as well.
"Youth Remodeling Career Day is designed as a one-day event for high school students studying for a career in construction to learn about the breadth of career options in the remodeling industry," said Michelle Glassburn, Executive Director of the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (EM-NARI). "Students get to work directly with professionals in the industry to experience a variety of hands-on activities."
The rationale behind having Youth Remodeling Career Day is clear. As stated in a flyer from EM-NARI, during the severe recession of the mid-2000s, not enough was done to cultivate up-and-coming remodeling industry workers who were either entering the profession or rising through the ranks. As a result, a shortage of qualified personnel existed to fill jobs being vacated by retiring workers. Now, via opportunities like Youth Remodeling Career Day, students studying, for example, construction in high school can not only be introduced to careers that use their skills, but can get truly energized about their future in the trade.
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