Twenty years ago, right around the time I first entered the construction industry fresh out of the Oregon State University, I noticed a significant shift around me. Fewer and fewer young people seemed interested in getting jobs in the trades, foreshadowing a workforce labor problem that’s only gotten worse with time.
With many skilled workers reaching retirement age, critical roles in construction, including plumbers and electricians, as well as those in most other trades, aren’t being filled fast enough by young people. Rapid technological changes have also presented skills gaps.
According to a summer 2023 survey by the Associated General Contractors of America and Autodesk, the vast majority of Oregon construction companies say they struggle to fill positions, with most firms agreeing that recruiting skilled craft workers is especially challenging.
To address this issue head-on in the South Willamette Valley, voters in Lane County passed a $121 million bond in 2020 to support vocational retraining and career technical education through enhancements to Lane County Community College. This represents the largest investment in LCC since its founding six decades ago.
The centerpiece project is the Industry and Trades Education Center, a new three-story, 55,000-square-foot workforce and advanced-technology training hub on LCC’s main campus in Eugene. LCC will begin moving equipment into the building in November and classes will begin winter term.
Designed by Hennebery Eddy Architects with input from the community, the $49.5 million ITEC project aims to challenge some of the misconceptions keeping more young people from fulfilling, living-wage jobs in the trades. This includes the idea that the conditions in industries like construction and manufacturing are necessarily dirty, dark, unsafe or that the technology they use is antiquated.
Our collective aim is for the students who’ll soon be training here to feel valued and appreciated, reflecting the respect they deserve within the community. Another goal is ensuring that the trades are seen as viable career options for people from traditionally disadvantaged or underrepresented communities, including people of color and women.
Read the rest of the story in the Portland Business Journal.