MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Like many other sectors of our economy, technology has transformed and added opportunities for those looking for job opportunities in the construction trades.
On WAJR’s Talk of the Town,” Justin Williams, Director of the Affiliated Construction Trades West Virginia (ACT WV), said technology has transformed many occupations and, in some areas, increased the skills needed. For people willing to sweat and work with their hands, there is a wide range of good-paying jobs available.
“The trades of today are different than they’ve ever been, just like manufacturing,” Williams said. “There’s more technology—using drones and GPS dozers—so we’re recruiting people that want to work with their hands and do a different job.”
Many of the jobs require certifications and even two-year degrees that can be acquired while learning the specific trade. He said some of the jobs allow people to continue their education, and that could be through increased skill levels within the trades or the attainment of an advanced degree.
“Yes, you want to get a degree; here’s your path,” Williams said. “You can go to an apprenticeship and start earning while you’re learning and get an associate’s degree when you complete it, and if you want to, you can go on to a four-year or postgraduate degree as well.”
The wages are competitive, and the jobs come with health insurance and retirement benefits. Participants are required to work up to journeyman status to qualify for the highest pay levels, but as a journeyman, many more opportunities become available.
“In the neighborhood of $50 per hour for wages and benefits for someone coming out when they are a full-time journeyman worker after completing their apprenticeship,” Williams said. “Our apprenticeship programs range from a few years to four years.”
Several members of the trades from West Virginia are in Ohio working on the construction of a microchip plant, and in Pennsylvania a new gas facility will be under construction in the coming months. Closer to home, there is the major bridge project over the Monongahela River in Morgantown, work on the WVU campus, a new Mon Health facility in the Bridgeport area, and the proposed $20 million Morris Family Health and Fitness Complex.
“I know workers from West Virginia that are in Columbus, Ohio, right now—there’s a huge construction boom in chip plants, so there have been people that took that opportunity and went there,” Williams said.
Williams said those who enter the trades today can expect to be in demand for many years to come. Continued construction in the area, coupled with expected retirements within the current workforce, is expected to continue to push the demand for workers in the trades higher.
“The studies say over the next 15 years a great number of trades members are going to be retirement-eligible,” Williams said. “I’m not saying they’re going to retire, but we need to train the workers to be able to fill those positions.”