EAST FALMOUTH – With unemployment levels at historic lows on Cape Cod, businesses in the construction and building trades continue to struggle to find young workers.
As part of the effort to increase the number of individuals who work in the industry, the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod held its annual Residential Construction Career Day yesterday at the Cape Cod Fair Grounds in East Falmouth.
The Association’s CEO Diane Pratt says the event showed students all the different opportunities in the construction trades.
“It does not just mean that you have to be hammer and nails that it can be any part of the construction trades, and also the opportunities we have now for women in construction,” Pratt said.
The event attracted over 400 students from high schools across the Cape and Plymouth to learn about the various types of careers available in the construction industry.
Officials say that many of the people who own and run construction companies on Cape Cod are approaching retirement age and don’t have a sufficient workforce to take over for them.
“We are trying to develop workforce and we are also trying to develop job opportunities for people who can stay on the Cape and live on the Cape,” Pratt said. “You can make a really good living here and stay here so that is what we are trying to do.”
Tim Duffany, from M Duffany Builders, says there is a wide range of career opportunities in the industry, including back office support positions like finance, marketing and sales.
“We think it is important for the whole industry getting it out there that there is a great opportunity to build a career,” Duffany said. “It’s hard to stay local on the Cape and earn a good living so helping to get that message out is really important for us.”
Marc Angiolillo, of Shepley Wood Products, says the event shows the vastness of the industry.
“The kids here today might think of the trades as putting on the tool belt and going to work, but there are so many support members who work within the company that make the trade happen. It can’t happen without all that support,” Angiolillo said.
The Home Builders and Remodelers Association is working with non-trade schools to bring more programs, wood shops and workshops back into the schools.
“We will be applying for grants for a couple of the schools this year,” Pratt said.
The association is also working with Cape Cod Community College towards a train grant to bring allow the institution to provide trade classes.
The unemployment rate for Cape Cod was 3.1 percent in August, with even lower rates of 2.3 percent on Martha’s Vineyard and 1.7 percent on Nantucket.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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