Did you know that there is a shortage of skilled labor in the construction industry?!? Of course you do. Because I’m just going to go ahead and assume that you are somehow connected to the construction industry if you decided to read this article.
Since you are well-aware of the skilled labor shortage that is plaguing our industry I am not going to go into the details of why, but skip right to the point. We ALL need to take an active role in turning people’s heads to what the industry can offer young people after high school graduation.
We all see middle school and high school kids scrolling through social media feeds all hours of the day. Take advantage of this opportunity and share posts about the opportunities in the construction industry often on your own social media page. Social media has taken over our daily lives whether you want to admit it or not, so if you are passionate about this industry, share information about opportunities in construction frequently. This will lead to your ‘friends’ and ‘followers’ being exposed to the opportunities in construction more frequently, which can only help the greater cause of educating our communities about the options for students after high school graduation that don’t have to involve a four year degree in order to have a high-paying and rewarding career.
An easy way to help spread the word about the often unknown opportunities in construction on social media is by following the 5 social media voices below and sharing their posts with your followers!
Build Iowa
To assist with bringing awareness to the great opportunities within Iowa’s construction industry, we (Master Builders of Iowa) developed a new workforce development campaign in 2015 – Build Iowa. The campaign is comprised of a website (www.BuildIowa.org), social media sites and Construction Week (first full week of October each year).
Build Your Future 
Taken from their website: “Build Your Future is an NCCER initiative that is a collaborative grassroots approach to construction workforce forecasting and development that includes recruitment, training, placement, retention and image enhancement strategies. Build Your Future seeks to be the catalyst for recruiting the next generation of craft professionals.”
Mike Rowe 
Mike Rowe is a MAJOR SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER. He is the first to admit that he has absolutely no background in the skilled trades, but he advocates for filling the skills gap constantly. He posts videos often about the trades that will get the attention of your followers.
Go Build 
Set up much like Build Iowa and Build Your Future, Go Build campaigns: “GO BUILD is a comprehensive workforce development initiative that seeks to enhance the image of the construction industry and inform young people, parents, and educators about opportunities in the skilled trades – because a 4-year degree isn’t the only way to make a living. Perceptions don’t change overnight, so Go Build deploys its message across a variety of mediums to inform and inspire the next generation of skilled workers.”
Iowa STEM 
Taken from their website: “The goal of increasing STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) interest and achievement is critical to regaining Iowa’s historic legacy as a leader in education and workforce development. In fact, STEM is a vital economic development advantage for quality job growth in our state. STEM graduates are in great demand to meet current and future workforce needs. Created with the goal of increasing STEM interest and achievement, the STEM Council is a collaboration of bipartisan Iowa legislators, educators, business, nonprofits, students and families focused on improving STEM opportunities and awareness in Iowa.”
In addition to following the pages mentioned above, you could also follow the hashtags below to find information to share about the construction industry:
- #GoBuild
- #BuildIowa
- #SkillsGap
- #NoMoreSkillsGap
- #SkilledTrades
- #BuildYourFuture
- #ConstructionWeek17
- #BuildYourCareer
- #MakeWorkCoolAgain
The skilled labor shortage isn’t going to fix itself by everyone complaining about it. We need to work together and take an active role in promoting what the construction industry can offer young people!
