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Last month, the Associated General Contractors’ Oregon-Columbia chapter, in partnership with the Academy for Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE Academy) opened the first AGC high school student chapter in the United States. The inauguration of a technical skill-focused student chapter represents another step the industry is taking to ensure a highly skilled, diverse workforce in Oregon 鈥� the future of which is very much in question these days.

Today, nearly 60 percent of construction firms report having some difficulty finding enough skilled workers to fill key professional and craft positions. Skilled worker shortages can be attributed to a series of policy, education, demographic and economic factors that have reduced the once robust education pipeline for training new construction workers as well as affected the entire chain of commerce.

We as contractors know that quality, comprehensive craft training is fundamental for development of a skilled workforce. In turn, a skilled workforce is essential for a productive and sustainable construction industry as it climbs its way out of recession.

The crippling of the education pipeline for construction can be seen in many educational trends, including: the dismantling of the public vocation and technical education programs and an increasing focus on college preparatory programs at the high school level. With the 鈥渦niversity-for-all鈥� mentality in education, there is an increasing demand for high school students to focus solely on college prerequisites, which prevents students from enrolling in elective courses such as the construction trades. There also exists an overwhelming impression among young people, their parents and teachers that career technical education is unacceptable, despite the fact that construction jobs often pay better than many post-college options, especially post-downturn.

As of July 30, the average salary of a construction worker in Oregon was $51,500 鈥� 16 percent more than the average for all private-sector employees in the state. This figure demonstrates that success in our economy and society is not limited to attainment of a bachelor’s degree.

Across the U.S., the reality of the education system is that 50 percent of high school students go to college, but only half of those students earn a degree. The result is that 75 percent of our high school graduates are looking for jobs that do not require a college degree. Students, teachers and parents need to broaden the 鈥渦niversity for all鈥� definition to mean 鈥減ost-high school education for all,鈥� and understand that there is more than one path forward following high school graduation. Apprenticeship and other programs that focus on the development of technical, in-demand skills are examples of these other paths.

If left unaddressed, shortages of new, highly skilled construction workers will ultimately undermine the industry’s recovery and impact broader economic growth as staffing shortages lead to construction delays. From an industry perspective, the recognition of the construction industry as a path to a well-paying job and career is a critical step toward meeting our future workforce needs. When you combine the aging trend of the baby boomers that make up a majority of Oregon’s construction workforce with the need to add more skilled workers, our state alone will need to add over 23,000 skilled workers by the year 2020.

The link between industry and academia is extremely important. The educational system in general is not preparing young people for or encouraging them to pursue the career opportunities that are available in the crafts. The construction industry has traditionally been viewed as 鈥渓ow tech鈥� and, therefore, is unappealing to the tech-savvy, younger demographic. This, however, is not the reality of today’s construction industry. From high-tech tools to more elaborate building processes and materials, the craft professionals and supervisors of the new construction workforce must be more than just computer literate; they must be computer-proficient and technologically competent.

Cutting-edge career technical education bears little resemblance to the old vocational education programs. Today’s best CTE programs 鈥� such as the ACE Academy 鈥� do a better job of preparing students for careers than academics-only programs. CTE is reactive to the demands of an ever-changing economy and grounded in the belief that the skills and abilities students need to succeed in college and careers are effectively identical.

While the opening of the first AGC high school student chapter in the U.S. is only a small step, this association and its members are committed to educating young people on the value of learning a trade, dispelling their misconceptions about the construction industry, and inspiring them to pursue a career as a skilled construction tradesman. Our commitment 鈥� and the industry’s commitment 鈥� to quality CTE are absolutely essential to the successful development of our future workforce.

Mike Salsgiver is the executive director of Associated General Contractors’ Oregon-Columbia chapter. Contact him at 503-685-8305 or [email protected].