By Phoenix — Over 4,000 students from high schools across Arizona gathered this week for the Arizona Construction Career Days (ACCD) at the Arizona National Guard. The event, designed to connect young people with careers in the construction industry, proved to be a major success, showcasing the diverse range of opportunities in a field often overlooked by many high school graduates.
Bridging the Skills Gap in the Construction Industry
Dave Nelson, founder of ACCD, emphasized the importance of the event in addressing a growing skills gap in the construction workforce. “They don’t have to go to college to do this, they can go through an apprenticeship program, and they can learn while they earn,” Nelson explained. The two-day event provides students with hands-on experiences and direct connections to industry professionals, giving them a taste of what working in construction could look like.
With many skilled workers retiring, particularly from the baby boomer generation, there is an urgent need for younger workers to fill those gaps. “These are men and women who were skilled, but they are leaving the workforce, and we need to be filling that workforce as they leave,” Nelson said. As the industry faces a labor shortage, initiatives like ACCD aim to inspire the next generation to consider construction as a viable and lucrative career option.
Pay and Opportunities that Rival Traditional Careers
Izaiah Ramos Martinez, a senior at the event, expressed his interest in welding and was especially attracted by the earning potential in the industry. “They can start off anywhere between $20 and $28 an hour starting,” Nelson pointed out. “That’s better than most fast food places, and that’s just the starting salary.” For many high school students, this kind of pay is an eye-opener, as construction offers not only competitive wages but also the potential for growth and advancement in the industry.
Sydney Coleman, office manager at Rosendin Electric, explained that construction offers much more than just physical labor. “It’s not just dirty work,” she said. “You can be an estimator, you can work in Building Information Technology (BIM), or you can be on a job site doing project management. There’s so much more than just the physical labor side.” This wide range of career paths appeals to a variety of students with diverse interests, whether they’re drawn to hands-on work or prefer roles in management, design, or technology.
The event also provided a platform for showcasing the growing demand for women in construction. Coleman noted that, through ACCD, more and more female students are showing interest in the field, something that wasn’t as common in the past.
Encouraging Women to Break into the Industry
Jaelyn Anchondo, a student at the event, shared her excitement about pursuing construction and encouraging other women to consider it as a career path. “I want to get the women out there. This isn’t just a man’s field,” Anchondo said. “Women are capable, and maybe we can do it better, and that’s my thing personally.”
Her comments reflect a broader cultural shift within the industry. More women are beginning to see construction not just as a male-dominated field but as an arena where they can thrive and succeed. As companies like Rosendin Electric and other industry leaders actively promote diversity, the future of construction looks more inclusive than ever.
The enthusiasm from students like Anchondo signals that the next generation is ready to take on the challenge of rebuilding and growing the industry. For many young people, construction may no longer be seen as a fallback career but a first-choice profession with ample opportunity for development and success.
Building a Stronger Future for Arizona’s Workforce
Arizona Construction Career Days is just one example of how the construction industry is working to build its future workforce. By offering students a direct path to careers that offer strong pay, job security, and room for advancement, events like ACCD are helping shape the next generation of builders, engineers, and innovators.
As the need for skilled labor grows and the workforce continues to age, the push to involve younger generations in construction is more critical than ever. With events like ACCD, students across Arizona now have a chance to explore the various opportunities in construction and begin charting their paths to success.