Governor Brian Sandoval issued a proclamation declaring October as Careers in Construction Month. The proclamation was issued, in part, due to the work done by BuildNV, an outreach arm of the Nevada Construction Collaborative to “narrow the skills gap by guiding Nevada’s youth and displaced workers toward training and opportunities that lead to long-term, rewarding careers in construction.”
“Construction Career Day is meant to show people the wide variety of jobs available in the industry,” Aaron West, chief executive officer of Nevada Builders Alliance said. “So far in 2016, construction employment is up 9.4 percent over 2015, and in the specialty trades, employment has grown nearly 10 percent in the past year as well.”
West said finding skilled workers is a challenge for area builders, which is why NBA has partnered with Western Nevada College and JOIN, Inc. in presenting WNC’s 8-week Construction Gateway course, an accelerated jobsite readiness program. The class starts Monday, Oct. 24.
“Construction workers left the state during the economic downturn,” he said. “We are facing a critical shortage of trained and skilled workers. Construction Gateway is geared toward getting people on the jobsite with their OSHA 10 safety certification and two national craft construction laborer certifications.”
In addition to Construction Gateway, NBA and BuildNV have teamed up with NCC to present the first ever Northern Nevada Construction Career Day. The event features a job fair for employment seekers, and will be held at the Reno Livestock Event Center Exhibit Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 25.
The day-long event includes morning educational sessions for Washoe School District counselors and faculty, and separate sessions of hands-on, interactive displays and exhibits for middle and high school students, and an afternoon community exploratory session and job fair which are open to the public.
Representatives from area construction firms, associations and higher education will be on hand to answer questions, meet with students and the community to showcase various aspects of the construction trades. Employment resources including JOIN, Inc., Community Service Agency and JobConnect will be on hand for job seekers.
For information on Construction Career Day, contact outreach@nevadabuilders.org, or call Pam Duxbury, outreach coordinator at Nevada Builders Alliance at (775) 882-4353.