Dive Brief:

• Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam joined forces with construction industry groups Wednesday to announce the new Go Build Tennessee program, a workforce development initiative that aims to combat construction labor shortages in the state and encourage young people to pursue careers in the trades, according to the Chattanoogan.
• The $3.5 million campaign involves efforts on television and the Internet to educate the public about careers in construction and raise awareness about the negative effects of the ongoing industry labor shortage. 
• The initiative was backed by lawmakers as well as construction groups in the state — including the Associated General Contractors, Associated Builders and Contractors, Road Builders Association and Home Builders Association. Go Build Tennessee is funded by industry-collected fees.

Dive Insight:

Similar Go Build initiatives have already been kickstarted in Alabama and Georgia, where the programs resulted in an increase in career technical education enrollments and apprenticeships, according to the Chattanoogan. Bob Woods, president and CEO of Go Build, told the Chattanoogan that the construction industry needs to "appeal to millenials' sense of purpose" by inspiring them, rather than by lecturing them.

The labor shortage has consistently topped the list of construction company concerns, as employers struggle to find qualified workers to staff projects during a building boom. Between April 2006 and January 2011, the construction industry eliminated more than 40% of its work force, cutting nearly 2.3 million jobs. In a September Associated General Contractors of America survey, 86% of contractors across the U.S. reported they were having a difficult time filling hourly craft jobs or salaried professional positions.

Companies have struggled to attract millennial workers to the careers in the trades that the aging workforce will soon leave behind. Industry groups have consistently warned that the construction industry needs to develop a plan to build up the worker pipeline, with some suggesting marketing efforts, a greater focus on technical training in school, immigration reform and a broad coalition effort.

The Go Build Tennessee initiative coincides with ongoing attempts to change public misconceptions about jobs in the trades. During a forum in February, HomeAdvisor CEO Chris Terrill said,"As a society, we have denigrated the nobility of the trades." Experts at the forum called on industry leaders to join together to create a broad coalition effort aimed at drawing workers into construction.