Ideas For The Future Workforce

Mike Salsgiver, executive director of the Oregon-Columbia chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), recently wrote an interesting article about the state of the construction industry in Oregon (not so good) in which he talks about new efforts to create the future workforce for the industry (promising).  He writes about the “Baby Boom Bubble” coming in the industry over the next 8 years or so when many in the industry plan to retire, and the need for Oregonians to develop programs to reemploy, teach and train a new workforce in the industry. 

In talking about the “people deficit” which the construction industry is about to face, he writes:

“If half of today’s construction workforce is retiring over the next 10 years, then we need approximately 3,700 replacements per year just to meet today’s numbers, and substantially more when the economy improves.”

Salsgiver writes about the Architecture, Construction & Engineering Academy (AEC), a program where students interested in the industry spend 50% of their school day learning how their course work in school applies to the real world of construction.  This looks like an interesting concept to help meet the long term workforce needs of the industry. 

What other programs do you know about that will help us find a new workforce?