A construction program at North Cobb High School sparked Jay Cunningham’s interest in the building trades more than 30 years ago. He became a licensed plumber and five years later (1988) started Superior Plumbing, in Kennesaw.
Two years ago, Cunningham returned to North Cobb High to help fund a new construction arts program. The old one had faded away as schools focused on preparing students for college. “People view college as the only path to a successful career, but not everyone needs to go to college, and there are other good career paths,” he said.
By sharing his story, Cunningham helped the parents of 27 teens see that the skilled trades led to good-paying jobs and satisfying careers. Today, 200 North Cobb students are learning about carpentry, plumbing, electrical systems and other construction trades. Kennesaw Mountain and Allatoona high schools are starting programs.
“Our state is facing a skilled labor shortage crisis,” said Cunningham, president of Superior Plumbing. “The only thing standing between me and the growth I desire for my company is the ability to find workers with the right skills and character. We advertise for plumbers in six states and still cannot find enough qualified people.”
Cunningham strongly supports Gov. Nathan Deal’s new initiative, Go Build Georgia, which is designed to recruit a younger generation into the skilled trades.
On the surface, it may seem ludicrous to prepare young people for an industry with such high unemployment. Electricians, plumbers and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) skills may not be needed for residential building right now, said Tricia Pridemore, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development, but they are needed in commercial construction, manufacturing, utilities, transportation, telecommunication and other sectors.
“We’ve identified more than 16,500 skilled trade positions in Georgia that will be available over the next year, and we don’t have the workers to fill them,” she said. “Baby boomers [ages 47-65] make up 49 percent of the construction workforce. For every four retiring workers, there’s only one replacement in the pipeline. We are facing a significant skills gap.”
Funded by federal Workforce Investment Act dollars initially, Go Build Georgia is a public/private partnership between state government, the Technical College System, apprenticeship programs and industry. The campaign kicked off with a 13-stop tour aimed at raising awareness about the issue and job opportunities.
“We decided to lead with a strong education focus, aimed at high school counselors and students in grades 9-12 who are making career decisions,” Pridemore said. “We want to change the negative cultural perception about the skilled trades, to encourage students to finish high school and apply to the programs that will lead them to good careers.”
Her office has projected the need for 12,788 truck/heavy tractor-trailer drivers, 4,906 construction laborers, 2,824 electricians, 3,888 first-line supervisors/managers, 4,906 carpenters and 2,050 welders in Georgia by 2016, at hourly wages of $14-$23 an hour.
“This is a great entrepreneurial industry as many skilled workers go on to start businesses,” said Pridemore, whose father became a truck driver, then built his own fleet.
Go Build Georgia is providing resources and information to high schools and hopes to fund scholarships in the next phase.
Its website -- www.gobuildgeorgia.com -- is a great tool for parents and students to explore construction fields on their own, said Scott Shelar, executive director of CEFGA (Construction Education Foundation of Georgia). Students and teachers can learn more at the Skills USA Career Expo at the Georgia International Convention Center, March 15-16 (see www.CEFGA.org).
“We’ve been promoting the skills gap issue for 14 years, but it’s exciting to see the governor recognize it as a priority for our state,” Shelar said.
“This is a national issue, but because of the programs in our technical colleges and this new initiative, I believe that Georgia is ahead of the pack in addressing this need,” said Ron Jackson, commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia.
“These are jobs that go into building and maintaining the infrastructure that makes our society work,” he said, “but people still don’t realize the level of knowledge and technical skill they require. We keep adding programs and new skills to meet industry demand.” North Georgia Tech just added a new welding program with 125 students. The Technical College System has a 100 percent placement rate for welders, yet industry needs more.
Georgia Power is a case in point. It will need 4,000 to 5,000 skilled electricians, plumbers, welders and pipefitters in 2014, in order to complete two new nuclear units at Plant Vogtle, spokeswoman Konswello Monroe said.
“A skilled labor force is essential to build any of our projects, and we support the governor’s initiative 100 percent,” she said.
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