AGC targets Missouri skilled workforce shortage

With over 100,000 craft professionals needed in Missouri over the next three years, the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Missouri Education Foundation has partnered with Build Your Future to make an impact on the skilled workforce shortage. Build Missouri aims to educate Missouri residents about training opportunities and career paths to lucrative employment in high demand occupations in the construction industry.

Build Your Future (BYF) is the National Center for Construction Education and Research’s (NCCER) national image enhancement and recruitment initiative for the construction industry.

“With the need to attract new craftworkers into the Missouri construction market, we knew we needed a platform to enhance the image of industry careers and Build Missouri helps us address those concerns,” says David Volk, chair of the AGC of Missouri Education Foundation.

Build Missouri outlines training and apprenticeship programs throughout Missouri, provides details about craft salaries and connects job seekers with employers.

To make as much of a difference as possible, AGC says Build Missouri is focusing on three main areas:

1. Shift the public’s perception about careers in the construction industry and inform the public about career paths and advancement opportunities in skilled craft professions.

2. Make career and technical education a priority in high schools and available to any who want to enter the construction workforce.

3. Provide a path from interest to training to job placement as a skilled craft professional.

Build Missouri's goals are to recruit the next generation of craft professionals, promote craft careers and facilitate training. As Missouri's construction industry expands, organizations using these resources will be able to help work toward closing the skills gap among the state’s craft workforce.

While BYF resources are available for any organization, BYF partners have the ability to customize material with their own branding and information, which can contribute to the success of their individual state campaigns. For more information on partnering with BYF, visit its website.