As a construction contractor with over 40 years of industry experience, I can attest to the fact that time is working against my industry, as the growing project demand is dipping into a shallow pool of skilled labor. That has resulted in higher prices and longer construction schedules.

The ongoing labor shortage can have a ripple effect on the U.S. economy. Funding from the bipartisan infrastructure bill won’t fix our crumbling infrastructure without a strong and skilled labor force.

But how do we get one?

Non-traditional careers

Our young generation is not considering construction a viable career option. One reasons is that non-traditional career paths are often not presented to young people graduating high school today as a viable and lucrative alternative to college. We must change that.

I have been fortunate to have a steady supply of skilled labor for my rebar contracting business, thanks to my background as an ironworker and my connection with the Iron Workers union, which has an excellent Registered Apprenticeship Program where they train the next generation of skilled ironworkers.

I was one of those kids for whom the traditional path to a desk job through an expensive four-year college career was not the most fitting or feasible option. The traditional route to a career that came with massive college debt was not for me.

In 1981, I was 15 years old when I went to help my uncle with his job for 10 days at a general contractor in Broomall. I learned a lot of important skills there, even in those few days, such as blueprint reading and placing rebar. I was working with people over 20 years older than me.

I enjoyed it so much that when I returned home, I quit 10th grade and joined Iron Workers Local 405. I completed the apprenticeship program there while making a decent living, because it was an “earn while you learn” program through which we were put to work on real construction projects in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and other parts of Pennsylvania.

Local 405 taught me not only all aspects of the ironworking, but also showed me all aspects of running a construction business. It prepared me to become a construction business owner a few years later.

Education without debt

At the end of my training, a lucrative career was waiting for me, and I did it all without accumulating college debt. After a while, I started my own rebar construction company. I have achieved more than I ever dreamed because of my training as an ironworker, which started with the registered apprenticeship program at Iron Workers Local 405 in Pennsylvania.

The Iron Workers (IW) registered apprenticeship program is the most recognized in the industry, spending more than $90 million annually to train the next generation of ironworkers. The IW developed the Ironworker Apprenticeship Certification Program (IACP), which includes a comprehensive internal and external evaluation and 10 program standards to improve, and standardize the quality of training. The IW has over 5,000 apprentices at any given year and overall, 20,000 trained apprentices in North America.

The apprentices make a decent living with benefits while they train, because it’s a hands-on learning program. The apprenticeships usually last three or fours years and include at least 204 hours of classroom and shop instruction. Those who graduate can pursue further education from colleges that accept their training as college credits.

According to the Dept. of Labor, apprenticeships are a proven path to secure careers: “87% of apprentices are employed after completing their programs with an average starting wage above $50,000. The return on investment for employers is impressive. Studies from around the globe suggest that for every dollar spent on apprenticeship, employers get an average of $1.47 back in increased productivity, reduced waste, and greater front-line innovation.”

Continued support from the new president and administration for our registered apprenticeship programs would be key in continuing to bridge the skills gap and training our future generation to build our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.

Apprenticeship works

It’s time we stopped telling our young that their only path to success is a four-year college degree. The earn-while-you-learn apprenticeship model works. I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.

We need to do better at promoting technical training and trades at the middle and high school levels so young people know they have choices, and the choices can bring them well-paying and fulfilling careers. It will help bring our nation the construction and other workers we need.