The impact of the skilled worker shortage is well known—increased costs for products, delays in getting work done and increased pressures on workers—and few industries can relate to this more than the construction industry.

The Associated Builders and Contractors organization reports that the construction industry must attract an estimated 800,000 new workers through 2027 to meet anticipated demand for construction services.

Throughout October, Capital Region BOCES—in conjunction with its business and higher education partners—is celebrating national Careers in Construction Month by highlighting the multitude of careers and opportunities that exist in the industry and the effort the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center undertakes to prepare students for those careers. 

Enrollment has steadily increased in recent years in eight different construction-related programs offered by BOCES, including Building Trades, Carpentry, Electrical Trades, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, Heavy Equipment Repair and Operation (HERO), Plumbing Trades, Network Technology and Welding and Metal Fabrication.

At the start of this school year, an estimated 600 students out of the approximately 1,700 enrolled in Career and Technical Education programs at Capital Region BOCES were taking one of those programs.

Additionally, BOCES offers five programs that prepare adults students for careers in the construction industry and those programs graduated 53 adults in August.

Business and labor partners said the programs make a difference.

“As a former CTE student, I really enjoy sharing life experiences in the electrical industry. I also enjoy showing the students what’s possible after graduation,” said Joe Johnson, owner of Johnson Electrical and a Capital Region BOCES graduate. “The Electrical Trades program is a great start to a highly successful career.”

Julia Gadwah, a human resources recruitment and retention specialist with Crisafulli Brothers Home Services, agreed.

“A CTE education is so important for kids. It allows them to see the tools, get hands-on practice and see what opportunities are out there,” she said.

Scott Nadeau, an Organizer for UA Local 7, Plumbers and Steamfitters union, said “BOCES is a valuable partner for us. They provide us with students who are interested in the trades, who want to learn and work, and who have a basic understanding of the fundamentals of the trades.”

Graduates and students alike say BOCES prepared them well for work in the industry.

“BOCES helped me learn that the trades are for me and that learning in a classroom is  not for me. Overall, BOCES does a really good job about giving students – no matter the class – great opportunities,”  said Class of 2025 graduate Braeden All, a member of the Laborers’ Local 157 union and employee of Tri-City Scaffold Co. Inc.

Class of 2026 graduate Kaleb Dickenson said the Building Trades program gave him a good foundation for his future in plumbing.

“Thanks to BOCES, I learned how to put up a house and make things I didn’t know about,” said Dickenson, who has been accepted as an apprentice at the UA Local 7 Plumbers and Steamfitters Apprenticeship.

For more information on the Capital Region BOCES programs, visit the BOCES website program page.