The Nevada Builders Alliance is hosting their annual Construction Career Day this Friday. The event welcomes students from more than 20 area middle and high schools to learn about careers in the construction trade - a field with a lot of local opportunities right now.
"During the last boom cycle, we had about 33,000 construction workers," said Aaron West, CEO of the Nevada Builders Alliance. "Right now, we're still only at 24,000, so we're grossly understaffed. On top of that, 25% of workers are over the age of 55, so those folks are going to be retiring out. So there are a lot of opportunities for young people in the construction industry to get into high-paying jobs in whichever path they choose - if they want to go college, no college, apprenticeship programs, things like that."
More than 1,000 students attended last year's event.
"We have everything from architects and civil engineers to drone flying surveyors and all of the specialty trades," West said. "The electricians, the plumbers, all hands-on activities. We even have simulators for things like welding and equipment operators. Too many people think it's just swinging a hammer or digging a ditch, and there's so much more to it."
The event is a partnership with trade organizations from all over the area. It's a hands-on way to try and keep some of these jobs local.
"There's two ways we can do this," West said. "We can try and recruit workforce into the area, or we can use what's here and grow them organically. The opportunities for these young people here are amazing. "
The event is at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, October 18th.
