With the state facing a critical shortage of construction workers, some employers are trying new tacks like in-house training in order to find qualified staff.
After Dean Millard noticed people traveling from the Seacoast to study at the New Hampshire School of Mechanical Trades in Manchester, he opened a second location in Hampton. Millard knew, however, that classes there would not fill up right away.
“This is a problem that has been coming on for 10 years at least,” Millard said. “It’s trickled down where there’s no people coming into the trades right now, very little.”
Employers in New Hampshire and across the country have reported a shortage of construction workers, with fewer young people entering the industry. Encouragement from high school teachers and administrators to go to college, a lack of awareness about construction trades among students and a slow reaction by employers to address the trend have contributed to the shortage.
The state’s construction industry has seen a slight uptick in employment, but the numbers trail historical trends. According to the Associated General Contractors of America, New Hampshire had 27,900 construction jobs in July 2019, 900 more than in July 2018. Compared to the industry’s peak in 2006, construction employment in New Hampshire is down 8 percent, according to an AGC study in March.
Industry Faces Stigma
Millard, the cofounder and director of the New Hampshire Mechanical School of Trades, said a key reason for the employment shortage is the push to have as many high school students as possible attend college.
He said the message that everyone should go to college leaves out discussions about careers in mechanical trades. His schools offer courses in plumbing, gas heat, electricity and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
He has also seen fewer high school students pursuing construction trades through New Hampshire’s Career and Technical Education program.
“It’s got a stigma that trade is where kids go when they don’t learn,” Millard said. “It’s actually reversed – you have to really know what you’re doing.”
Of the 21 New Hampshire Career and Technical Education centers, including five in Vermont, only three offered programs in the general construction trades in 2019. There were five electrician programs, three in HVAC and four in plumbing. For other industries, 18 had programs in health professions and 17 offered general engineering.
To help raise awareness about construction trades, Millard attends career and college fairs, works with guidance counselors and holds tours at the schools. He said he has started to see some response to these efforts, especially when parents also learn about career opportunities in trades.
Employers Boost Training In-House
Employers need to get more involved in raising awareness of trades as well, Millard said. He has seen some firms hire young people as apprentices while they receive training toward necessary licenses, but he added that not enough employers have taken this route.
Roughly 80 percent of contractors have difficulty finding qualified craft workers according to a nationwide AGC survey of nearly 2,000 companies, released in August. When asked about hiring practices, 46 percent of respondents said they initiated or increased in-house training, while 18 percent said they had changed hiring standards, including practices related to education requirements, training or past employment.
Brandon Gemmiti, a director of operations with Chinburg Builders, recently had to take a different approach to hiring. He uses subcontractors for most of his work, but when he does need to hire staff, the effort has been challenging.
“There’s nobody out there that’s good just waiting for a phone call,” Gemmiti said.
A few years ago, he hired a recent high school graduate with no construction experience. Gemmiti could tell he was motivated to learn and paired him with a master carpenter. The worker was able to pick up the trade and is now considered a valued employee.
This approach required a commitment from Chinburg Builders, since there were times when the young man was paid to sit and watch other carpenters work.
Like Gemmiti, Millard wants to see more young people enter the construction industry, where he said workers earn a decent living – and enjoy the earning of that living.
“It’s not an easy job, but it’s very rewarding – that’s what we’re promoting here,” Millard said. “It’s not easy; it’s something that takes a lot of training, but you have a great time with it.”
