Building Trades official Chuck Riojas (third from left) stands with apprentice coordinators and union representatives (left and right) Robert Topete, Justin Barnard, James Hammond, Isaac Camarena and Frank Bedolla. Photo via ValleyBuild

With billions of dollars in funding from the White House for high-speed rail, and future plans to spend $25 million in state money on Downtown Fresno infrastructure, including parking structures, sidewalks, sewer and water lines, the area is going to be active with building for years to come.

However, construction companies and contractors will need the talent to build the projects.

Nationally, the construction industry is facing an ongoing labor shortage. According to the U.S. Census Bureau of Labor Statistics, an estimated 1.9 million construction workers will leave their jobs to work in other industries in 2024.

As new positions are added to the number of currently unfulfilled roles, filling labor gaps will remain a challenge. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the construction sector is expected to have the largest increase in employment than any other sector, adding 790,400 jobs through 2024.

For construction companies and people interested in joining the building trades, there is a vast network of builders, schools, and trades and jobs organizations that work together to bolster the region’s workforce.

Organizations such as The Fresno Madera Kings Tulare Building & Construction Trades Council and the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board partner with local high schools and construction companies to show students career opportunities in the building trades.

Chuck Riojas, executive director of the local Building & Construction Trades Council, said that the employment outlook for the construction and building trades is positive.

“We’ve identified over $40 billion worth on the Valley floor. I’ve been in the trades now for 37 years and I’ve never seen it better,” Riojas.

While many in the industry are retiring, union apprenticeships facilitated through the council maintain a flow of new workers to enter the construction industry, he said.

Smaller contractors might have more trouble recruiting talent, and programs such as job training might not be in their scope. They train as they need, Riojas said, and don’t have a pipeline to replace retiring workers.

He said they work closely with the Fresno Unified School District and State Center Community College on recruitment.

Riojas said he tries to get high school seniors excited about careers in the building trades, with some of them beginning their training in high school.

To dispel the stereotype that all construction is backbreaking work done in the sun, Riojas talks to youth groups, church groups, The Boys and Girls Club and other groups about the ins and outs of apprenticeships and what it is to make a living in the construction trades.

Riojas said that the City of Fresno has a Project Labor Agreement with rules that any project over $1 million triggers apprenticeship opportunities for Fresno residents.

He said the council encourages its members to start their own contracting businesses — and are always willing to help them with their ventures.

The Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board partners with the council to run the ValleyBuild Pre-apprenticeship program.

Ashley Matthews, senior project coordinator at the workforce development board, said they are currently focusing on applicant outreach.

Matthews said companies are reaching out to them in search of qualified applicants.

The last cohort of students graduated in November, with almost all of the students finding permanent work, she said.

“We have a lot of companies coming to us with a lack of applications, lack of qualified applicants in the industry, and they are getting a lot of contracts out of state too, so they are also looking for people willing to travel, which is hard for a lot of folks to do,” Matthews said.

Matthews said that once younger people see all the different pathways in the construction field, it can really appeal to them.

Helping bring more workers into the industry, the board runs ValleyBuild NOW (Nontraditional Occupations for Women), and is currently recruiting for its third cohort, which is scheduled to begin in May.

She said that many women in the industry get heavily involved in unions and bring them out to their rural communities.

The response to women in the trades has been phenomenal.

Along with the value provided by workforce organizations and schools, the role of construction companies in the area is just as vital.

Concord-based builder Swinerton, which recently opened offices in Fresno, is for the first time sponsoring this year’s Design Build Student competition, presented by Fresno County Superintendent of Schools and the Central California Builders Exchange.

The competition, which will run from March 20-24 at the Central California Builders Exchange in Fresno, gives students the chance to gain practical experience by designing and constructing an 8-foot by 10-foot shed.

Along with the design and build portion, students will also have a sales portion where they explain to judges while their customers should buy their shed.

Swinerton is sponsoring the materials and training for Madera High School, with other construction companies including Legacy, Four C’s, Mark Wilson, and Ardent sponsoring other local high schools.

Swinerton Senior Superintendent Erich Klemme said programs such as the build competition and career technical education programs allow young people career opportunities in the trades.

“We support these programs because it directly impacts our business, making sure that we have a young pipeline backfilling and supporting this workforce,” Klemme said.

Klemme said they see the passion and excitement that students feel when they are “learning by doing” and see the final product of their hard work.

Many young people might feel that college isn’t the route for them, and many young people are attracted to being able to make good money for their hard work in the building trades coming right out of high school.

Swinerton also likes to highlight the technology used in the industry to make sure the jobs are more efficient, as well as safer.

“We want to invest in our youth so they can get into a position where they can succeed and grow,” Klemme said. “We want to take the time out of our schedule to make sure this is a program that is successful for years to come.”