Construction jobs outpace available workforce in Northern Nevada, Washoe County School District aims to help fill gap

Local apprenticeship programs in building and construction trades are hiring. Learn more!

Like many areas of the country right now, the Truckee Meadows is experiencing an economic resurgence, and with economic recovery comes—inevitably—a booming construction industry. Jobs in the building and construction trades in the Reno-Sparks area are increasing faster than they can be filled, and while local apprenticeship programs are training a new rush of young people for careers in the trades, it's still not enough.

"We're seeing more applicants for our apprenticeship programs, and they're trending younger," says Rob Benner, representative for the Building and Construction Trades Council of Northern Nevada. "We're happy to be attracting a new generation in the construction trades, but we need a lot more of them."

The Washoe County School District's Career and Technical Education (CTE) program plans to help fill those jobs with students trained to take on the challenges of a modernized construction industry. Today, high-level technical skills like digital mapping, 3-d modeling, mathematics, engineering, and even drone operation are in high demand. Internships and future high school construction training programs are among the recent efforts at the WCSD to get students prepared for great careers, and to help fill the near-future demands of the Reno-Sparks workforce, which show no signs of slowing down.

Read more in the Reno Gazette-Journal's May 25 article, "WCSD prepares students for careers in high demand."

Win for striking Arizona and West Virginia teachers is a win for organized labor, students, and their communities

© Nat Basil

Last week Arizona Governor Doug Ducey awarded Arizona's teachers a significant pay raise—20% over two years—after a six-day strike of more than 20,000 teachers that effectively shut down the state's school system. The win in Arizona came just two months after West Virginia teachers walked out in a nine-day protest that resulted in a 5% pay increase, signed by West Virginia Governor James C. Justice. 

Teachers' unions in both states have praised the pay increases as a win for teachers and students both, though say there's more work to be fought for, including increased per-pupil funding, decreased class sizes, and addressing the rising costs of health insurance that take a large bite out of teacher pay. But these results point to the importance of labor organization and collective voices that make the issues of working people difficult for lawmakers to ignore. Savvy, strong organizing by teachers' unions to address deep educational budget cuts brought together tens of thousands of teachers in smoothly-run, visually eye-catching walkout events like Arizona's #RedForEd campaign that caught national attention, and eventually swayed reluctant lawmakers to approve the overdue pay raises.

Higher pay isn't just a win for teachers, but for students, and by extension the community, all of whom win when fair pay and working conditions attract and retain high-quality professionals.   

READ MORE

"Striking Arizona teachers end walkout, salary increases set." — WTOP
"West Virginia raises teachers' pay to end statewide strike." — NYT

Nevada high school students show off trade skills, get valuable experience, at the SkillsUSA state championships in Reno

Local industry leaders hope programs like SkillsUSA will help bring labor and trades back into the public spotlight as viable careers for the next generation, and fill big gaps in the local skilled workforce.

A sea of striking red blazers filled the streets in front of and around the downtown Reno Events Center on Thursday and Friday, April 12 and 13—young officers of the Nevada chapter of SkillsUSA, a national organization that helps teachers and industry leaders to prepare high school and college students for careers and leadership in technical, skilled, and service occupations. 

Last week's championship event brought students to Reno from around the state together to compete in trade skill tests like carpentry, plumbing, electrical wiring, sheet metal, and more. Students worked with identical sets of plans to build out a project in teams or individually. Carpentry students worked in teams of four to build a tiny house on-site, the electricians put students work wiring a residential booth with switches, receptacles, and doorbells to code, and the plumbers had mock wall units set up for students to outfit with a plumbing system. 

"We set the kids up with a mockup of what would be a typical installation out on a housing project," says Randy Canale, apprenticeship coordinator with the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 350 in Sparks. "Today they're roughing in a residential bathroom that has a kitchen on the other side of the back wall."

Canale adds that the SkillsUSA program not only helps students get exposure to the myriad skills required in the trades, but if they should make the choice after graduation to pursue a career in skilled labor, having that experience is a great credential when it's time to apply for apprenticeship programs. 

"When we're interviewing apprenticeship candidates and we see that they've been through the SkillsUSA program, we know they've at least had a good introduction to the trades," he says. "It lets us know that they know what to expect, they know their hands are probably going to get dirty, they have a pretty good idea of safety, and they know that they have to work. When we see they've had that experience, we know this isn't somebody who just saw an ad in the paper, they have an active interest in the trades. That counts."

Reed High School Sophomore Chloe Reese joined the SkillsUSA program in her freshman year, inspired by her older brother's love for the program.

"I was encouraged by my Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher to join SkillsUSA, which interested me because my older brother went through the program and he liked it a lot. So I was curious about it, and it turns out that I like it a lot too," she said. "I've learned a lot of trade skills, like welding and machining. I've learned how to complete projects using plans. It's fun, and those are valuable skills to have."

Students who win at the state level go on to the SkillsUSA National Championships in Louisville in June, where they'll compete for the top spot, and prizes like scholarships, cash, and tools.

Skilled workforce training is a triple win for schools, local industry, and the community. Studies have shown that students involved in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are more likely to attend school and show motivation, and more likely to have higher employment rates and higher wages after graduation than those who didn't take part.

Dr. Dana Ryan, Director of Washoe County School District Signature Academies & Career and Technical Education, says that not only does training in trade and technical careers offer students who don't see themselves as candidates for post-secondary education a solid career path, today's CTE programs are not yesterday's vocational programs—they're a viable alternative to college. 

"CTE isn't just about career training," says Ryan. "These programs include rigorous, high-level academics. Our kids studying construction are also studying calculus. We're asking them to be successful in geometry and trigonometry." 

Currently half of all high school students in the Washoe County School District—about 9,000—get exposure to technical career education. And still it's not enough, according to Ryan, who believes that the U.S. is the midst of a cultural paradigm shift around ideas about work, the likes of which we haven't seen for many decades. 

"It's turning on its head the notion that a 4-year college degree is the primary ticket to success," she says. "That's largely because of the way we're approaching innovation. There are big and varied opportunities now for skilled labor now, which doesn't look the way it used to look. Being a member of the skilled workforce today means you have to be a critical thinker. You have to be creative."

Pair that shift in career thinking with the industrial and economic overhaul that northern Nevada has seen in the last five years, and the region is especially well-positioned to take advantage of the school district's increased focused on career and technical education. But the numbers are coming up short.

"If every one of the nearly 20,000 high school students in the district graduated ready to take a job in the skilled workforce, we still wouldn't have enough for what we're going to need fill demand in the near-term," she said. "This is creating pressure on the on industry, but it's also giving credibility back to the idea that you can graduate from high school with a diploma and some skill certifications and now you're prepared to go out and get a living wage job, and when you get that job, now there are opportunities for you to move along a good career path, get more schooling if you want to, and continue to grow. We're training our kids to take initiative, step out and push themselves a little farther, apply knowledge, work hard at anything that comes their way, and become tomorrow's leaders in the skilled workforce, move any industry they're in forward. Career and technical education programs like the district's program and SkillsUSA aren't just about trade skills."

Ryan's daughter, Gilliana, a junior at the STEM Academy at Galena High School, is taking her mom's work to heart and running to be a state officer for SkillsUSA. State officers help organize the activities of the state chapter, represent the state at the national level, and help build community involvement in the program. These positions train students in leadership skills, build confidence and connections, and they also provide a way for students interested in the program to participate even if their interests aren't a direct match with the trades chosen for the competition.

"I'm studying environmental engineering, but there's no component for that in the competition," the younger Ryan says. "So I decided to run for state officer as a way of participating. The chapter at my school is very small, so one of my motivations in running is to bring attention to the SkillsUSA program there, to bring more students in. I think it's worth their time."

Brian Osborn, instructor for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 401 apprenticeship program in Reno, echoes that sentiment. 

"I'd encourage any student who's considering joining the SkillsUSA program to absolutely give it a try. We have a lot of fun, it's a great experience, and hey, you can win some great prizes." ■

Related reading:

"Students are being prepared for jobs that no longer exist. Here's how that could change." — NBC News

"Hidden gem of the community graduates 98% of students and prepares them for careers." — Reno Gazette-Journal

"10 to watch in 2015: Dana Ryan aims for better education." — Reno Gazette-Journal
 

Nevada Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Sisolak Says Skilled Workforce Key to State's Future

KTVN caught up with Steve Sisolak in Northern Nevada as he toured the Iron Workers Local 118 training center as part of his 2018 campaign for Governor of the State of Nevada. Sisolak toured the center with Tracy Holland, business manager of Iron Workers local 118 and vice president of the Building and Constructions Trades Council of Northern Nevada, and says Nevada will need a robust workforce of skilled labor to meet the challenges ahead. 

"If we have the workforce here that's capable of building, the companies are willing to look at Nevada," he said.

READ MORE + WATCH VIDEO

Steve Sisolak Tours Iron Workers Training Center (KTVN)
Sisolak For Governor 

We're celebrating 90 years in service to Nevada's trade unions

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150-acre training center east of Reno offers avenue for skilled trades

"On a remote area on the dusty hills south of the small Northern Nevada community of Wadsworth sits the Nevada Training Center.

The center's apprenticeship program teaches prospective operator engineers about the nuances of heavy-duty construction equipment seen on a job site."

Read more at Northern Nevada Business Weekly.