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It’s Construction Careers Month. As we face a massive skills shortage in the industryit is more important than ever to raise awareness about the construction trades.

Our younger generation does not see construction as a viable career option. Unfortunately, non-traditional career paths are often not presented to recent high school graduates today as a viable and lucrative alternative to college. The lack of awareness and plan to build a pipeline of workers continues to disrupt the industry.

I was one of those kids for whom the traditional path to an office job through an expensive four-year college career was not the most appropriate or feasible option. I am very grateful for the training I received as an ironworker which led to a long and satisfying career in construction and a comfortable life with a well-established rebar construction company .

In 1981, I was 15 years old when I went to help my uncle with his job for 10 days at G&H Steel Services Inc., a general contractor in Broomall, Pennsylvania. I liked it so much that when I returned home to Philadelphia, I left 10th grade and joined Iron Workers Local 405. I completed the apprenticeship program there while earning a decent living.

At the end of my training, a lucrative career awaited me, and I did it all without accumulating college debt. I knew the traditional four-year college path to a career that came with massive college debt wouldn’t be for me.

As an ironworker, I have worked on construction projects of many impressive structures such as the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After a while, I started my own rebar construction business which prospered and grew into the business it is today. I have achieved more than I ever dreamed through my training as an ironworker, which began with the Iron Workers Local 405 Registered Apprenticeship Program.

Ripple effect

As a construction contractor with over 40 years of experience in the industry, I can attest to the fact that time is against the industry and the growing demand for projects is drawing from a shallow pool of labor. qualified work. This led to higher prices and longer construction times. Difficulty finding skilled labor hurts the bottom line when companies can’t meet growing demand for projects.

The current labor shortage may have a ripple effect on the U.S. economy, especially in the current uncertain political climate. Funding from the bipartisan infrastructure bill will not be enough to repair our crumbling infrastructure.

The new president and administration’s continued support for our registered apprenticeship programs would be critical to continuing to close the skills gap and train our future generation to build our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.

It’s time we stop telling our young people that their only path to success is a four-year college degree. The “earn while you learn” learning model works. I would not be where I am today if I had not continued my career in construction.

Apprenticeships are a proven way to secure a career: Nearly nine in 10 apprentices are employed after completing their programs with an average starting salary above $50,000, according to the Department of Labor.

I have been fortunate to have a steady supply of skilled labor for my construction business through my experience as an ironworker and my connections to local Iron Workers chapters in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, who offer excellent registered apprenticeship programs and train the next generation of skilled workers. ironworkers.

There are many paths to success. We simply need to better promote technical training and trades at the middle and high school levels to give them choices, so these young people can find and thrive in these well-paying and fulfilling careers in construction.