Capital Region BOCES and numerous area businesses and unions will celebrate national Careers in Construction Month on Oct. 20 with an event on the Career and Technical Education Center – Albany Campus.
Heavy equipment demonstrations, equipment training, hands-on skills demonstrations, and other activities that promote awareness of construction careers and more will take place during the festivities on the campus, which is located at 925B Watervliet-Shaker Road in Albany.
The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. is part of a series of activities this month at the Career and Technical Education Center celebrating the construction industry.
Among the business and union representatives on hand will be: Kamco Supply New England; Robert H. Finke & Sons Inc.; Callanan Industries; Milton CAT; Curtis Lumber Co.; Carver Companies; Tri-City JATC; National Grid; Operating Engineers Local 158; New York State Department of Transportation; Appolo Heating; Kenworth Northeast; Crisafulli Brothers; Finishing Trades Institute at Albany and North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.
There is an extreme shortage of workers in the skilled trades. Capital Region BOCES – in conjunction with its business and higher education partners – is highlighting the programs it offers that help build the workforce of tomorrow, as well as the opportunities that exist for workers in those industries.
According to the Associated Builders and Contractors Association, the construction industry will need to bring in more than 342,000 new workers on top of normal hiring in 2024 to meet industry demand, and that’s presuming that construction spending growth slows significantly.
From electrical trades to heavy equipment to construction, carpentry, welding and HVAC/R, programming provides students with pathways to great careers.
Enrollment in the seven construction-related programs Capital Region BOCES offers continues to rise with more than 360 high school students from more than 24 area school districts in attendance. This underscores a greater trend of students and their families realizing the value of skilled trades.
“The construction industry offers exciting, interesting and rewarding careers—with or without an advanced degree,” said Associated General Contractors New York State CEO and President Michael J. Elmendorf II. “Quite literally, our industry and the individuals who make it work, build New York state! From buildings to bridges and even iconic places like Yankee Stadium or facilities at the Saratoga Racetrack, our members – many of whom are Capital Region BOCES graduates – can proudly say, ‘I built that.’”