{"id":35430,"date":"2022-06-17T12:43:02","date_gmt":"2022-06-17T16:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?p=35430"},"modified":"2022-06-17T12:43:02","modified_gmt":"2022-06-17T16:43:02","slug":"not-enough-emphasis-in-schools-about-building-trades-careers-is-industry-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2022\/06\/not-enough-emphasis-in-schools-about-building-trades-careers-is-industry-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Not Enough Emphasis In Schools About Building Trades Careers Is Industry Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Workers install playground equipment at Abraham Wing Elementary School.
Paul Post<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Paul Post<\/p>\n

Unlike the Marines, area builders need a whole lot more than \u201cA Few Good Men.\u201d<\/p>\n

A severe nationwide labor shortage is being felt locally, too, as understaffed firms can\u2019t keep up with customer demand.<\/p>\n

Several factors have contributed to the labor shortage. First and foremost, many skilled workers have aged out of the industry and there hasn\u2019t been enough emphasis put on showing kids the careers this field has to offer, builders say.<\/p>\n

At Glens Falls-based VMJR Companies, laborer, carpenter and mason apprentice jobs start out at $16.98, $19.46 and $23.33 per hour, respectively. The worker can obtain journeyman status within five years, which pays $30.86, $35.40 and $38.69 per hour, respectively, plus supplemental benefits for each position.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a core group of 35 field employees and are having a difficult time hiring skilled masons and carpenters,\u201d president and CEO Victor Macri said. \u201cPlus, for office operations we could use two more project managers and project engineers and another administrative assistant. We\u2019ve been searching for over a year to fill these positions.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span>Builders do everything possible to find new employees, from traditional techniques such as newspaper ads and job fairs, to newer online strategies including LinkedIn and ZipRecuriter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNetworking and word-of-mouth are still best,\u201d Macri said. \u201cWe pride ourselves on the culture we create for our employees, which helps sell it to others. There\u2019s no easy way to search for employees. You just hope you get lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four years ago, the Saratoga Builders Association launched a Construction Industry Task Force comprised of builders, suppliers and officials of the area Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex (WSWHE) Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES) with the stated mission of \u201cencouraging young people and adults to consider a career in the construction industry by bringing an awareness to the benefits associated with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

WSWHE serves 31 school districts in a five-county region including Saratoga, Warren and Washington..<\/p>\n

Subsequent meetings with school superintendents, principals and guidance counselors revealed a major lack of awareness about construction trades opportunities and misconceptions surrounding the work such as being too physical, offering low pay and requiring extra-long work days.<\/p>\n

Next, the Task Force held a variety of activities for students such as letting them handle and experiment with tools, hosting a Career Day, visiting construction sites and having BOCES students build a \u201ctiny house\u201d that was featured during the association\u2019s annual Showcase of Homes.<\/p>\n

Such efforts proved valuable by exposing kids to jobs that might not have considered otherwise.<\/p>\n

Boucher said it\u2019s critical for builders to present their companies as one that offers growth and opportunity to new workers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe offer full benefits including paid vacation, paid holidays, mileage reimbursement, a 401K plan, matching contributions, health insurance premium payments and competitive pay,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Argyle-based Hunt Companies Inc. does a great deal of construction work for franchise brand restaurants such as McDonald\u2019s and Taco Bell. At full capacity, the business employs 25 people, but currently has just 16, including one part-timer.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the construction industry as a whole, hiring was a problem before COVID started,\u201d company president Amie Gonzales said. \u201cOnce COVID hit that exacerbated it. It definitely limits the amount of work we can take on at one time. With a full crew we can usually do multiple jobs simultaneously. Now we have to be very selective, not just the size of the job, but the time frame, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gonzales said building trades give any young, willing worker a chance to go as far as they want to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as you have the drive and want to do this we can train you, we can give you the skills,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is a career path in the construction industry. It depends on the individual. This really is all skill-based. If you can do the work and excel at it, we don\u2019t have a set time frame. You don\u2019t have to be here four years. If you learn it we can move you right on up through.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, they were encouraged to go to college, regardless of whether or not that was going to benefit them,\u201d said Matt Whitbeck, owner of Whitbeck Construction in Wilton. \u201cSo there\u2019s this big segment of the population that feels that if they aren\u2019t using their diploma for something, it was a waste, even though they\u2019re taking on jobs they\u2019re not passionate about or care about. They take them just to pay back student loans.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, COVID helped give rise to a whole new type of employment that is much less demanding than construction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people are getting by with driving for Uber and making food deliveries,\u201d Whitbeck said. \u201cYou can pick your hours. You don\u2019t have to get out of bed at 6 a.m. every day. You don\u2019t have to work in the hot sun. You just drive your car and turn on the air conditioning. If you don\u2019t feel like working that day you don\u2019t, because you don\u2019t have to clock in or out. It\u2019s just an easy job. You can fulfill the qualifications with little or no education or effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whitbeck Construction owner Matt Whitbeck, of Wilton, said his firm, which specializes in new home construction and remodeling, is about 50 percent understaffed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBoth my business partner and I are in the field, working a lot, just to try to keep jobs moving ahead that have been booked and scheduled for well over a year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Jesse Boucher, president of Wilton-based Kodiak Construction, said \u201cWe currently have 12 staff and work with another dozen trade contractors to construct new single-family homes. We\u2019re lacking support staff, the general labor that can help move materials around, pick-up materials from the store, and clean and organize job sites. Each of our trade contractors could use another three to five guys on their teams as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore 2020, it was possible to construct houses in five to six months,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are currently requesting seven to eight months to provide more time for smaller crews to complete the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Offering a competitive wage, making students at all grade levels aware of rewarding career possibilities, and using the latest technology to make work easier, will help solve the industry\u2019s labor shortage problem, builders say.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking conditions are impacted by the weather and the work is very physically demanding,\u201d Boucher said. \u201cPeople who stay in construction have a passion for creating new things and providing high-quality craftsmanship. Incorporating new technology helps keep people interested.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, battery-powered tools have reduced the need for hauling heavy lead cords and generators for daily tasks. Cloud servers have made it easier to get information from the office to the field. Younger generations want to see efficiency improve, so becoming more efficient helps keep workers engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Paul Post Unlike the Marines, area builders need a whole lot more than \u201cA Few Good Men.\u201d A severe nationwide labor shortage is being felt locally, too, as understaffed firms can\u2019t keep up with customer demand. Several factors have contributed to the labor shortage. First and foremost, many skilled workers have aged out of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":35431,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news"],"yoast_head":"\r\nNot Enough Emphasis In Schools About Building Trades Careers Is Industry Problem - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2022\/06\/not-enough-emphasis-in-schools-about-building-trades-careers-is-industry-problem\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Not Enough Emphasis In Schools About Building Trades Careers Is Industry Problem - Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Paul Post Unlike the Marines, area builders need a whole lot more than \u201cA Few Good Men.\u201d A severe nationwide labor shortage is being felt locally, too, as understaffed firms can\u2019t keep up with customer demand. 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