What has resulted from a terrible hurricane season is a strong need for construction professionals. Which is great news for those of us in the industry. But it’s going to take some time for training.
Schools in Texas and Florida are on it. Lone Star College in Houston has added 3-6 week courses in framing, drywalling, roofing, and sheet-metal work to meet the demands since Harvey. Valencia College in Orlando already had programs like this available to all students before Irma – even those unable to commute to the school, with tool-stocked mobile units delivered directly to the student. Those taking new courses at Lone Star and those continuing at Valencia will be able to join the workforce directly on the path to a new career, or go back to school once rebuilding is complete and use the credits towards an Associate’s Degree.
This just-in-time training is proving to be quite effective. This accelerated programing not only helps the community following natural disasters, but also helps students learn a new trade that could, in turn, become a lifelong career. 33,000 estimated jobs were lost after this hurricane season, but because of the popularity of these programs, the construction industry has been seeing growth since October.
Read more at ENR and Construction DIVE.