Demand for construction workers is growing locally

ROCHESTER, NY (WHAM) - Dillon Callaghan is hopeful the training he's receiving today will set him up for success for years to come.

“What I’m learning here will last a lifetime," said Callaghan, 19.

He's part of the Rochester Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Program. Callaghan and dozens of his counterparts will spend the next five years learning electrical and construction skills.

Mike Bader helps oversee the program.

“There’s no cost to them for the program," said Bader. "When they come in, our contractors bear the cost of the training. One day a week, they come here for training. It’s 'earn while you learn'. So they earn a paycheck. They earn benefits. They’ll have health care, and a paycheck.”

Bader says there are close to 30 or 40 contractors in the area who use the program's labor pool to find construction workers.

Locally, experts say the construction job market is booming. A new report by the Associated General Contractors of America says the Rochester metro area was the nation's third-fastest growing construction job market in 2019. The group reports there are 23,500 people working in construction in Rochester, up from 16,500 in December 2009.

But many firms around the country are struggling to find enough qualified workers to keep up with demand.

"It’s a convergence of the recession, the now-economic boom that came after that, and people not returning to the workforce and the retiring population," said Matt Squires, CEO of Manning Squires Hennig Construction.

"The [Rochester City School District] school modernization program is still ongoing. Phase 3 is starting this fall. Hospitals and universities are booming. I think probably $2 billion dollars are coming from U of R, RGH, that group. We can see the next five years of projects coming with no end in sight.”

The Associated General Contractors of America is calling for an increase in federal funding for career and technical training. Callagahan is eight months into his apprenticeship and says it's already helping him.

“I start collecting retirement savings next year. That’s a long time to save and get the most out of it," he said.