Audio courtesy of Southern Communications
Beckley, W.Va. – WVU Tech hosted The Contractors Association of West Virginia’s (CAWV) quarterly board meeting on campus and offered officials from both the CAWV and K-12 partners a look at the construction and contracting education provided by the institution.
The CAWV board of directors joined several of WVU Tech’s K-12 Southern 13 initiative partners to tour WVU Tech's state-of-the-art construction management and engineering laboratories on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. Officials from the school districts and CAWV also met with the faculty and students working in the construction management program.
“We are fortunate to have the only four-year construction management degree in the state of West Virginia,” WVU Tech President T. Ramon Stuart, Ph.D. said. “As our economy grows, the need for qualified builders is increasing. We are honored to be able to facilitate these important conversations around the need for well-trained tradespeople and professional builders.”
The CAWV serves more than 500 businesses involved in building, highway, municipal utility, and industrial contracting, as well as service providers to the industry. The association is also a key advocate regarding legislative and public policy issues that impact the construction industry.
Officials from CAWV, K-12 Southern 13 partners and WVU Tech tour Construction Management laboratories to learn more about the facilities training the next generation of construction professionals.
CAWV CEO Jason Pizatella said the organization is constantly looking for ways to bolster the number of construction professionals working in West Virginia, especially as demand for construction projects grows across the state.
“With the federal government's passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with the state's Roads to Prosperity program, and the Inflation Reduction Act, there's over a billion dollars out there for these projects in just this fiscal year. There's over $3 billion over the next fiscal year coming to West Virginia. We as an industry have to be able to deliver on those projects,” Pizatella said. “The average construction worker in West Virginia is over 50 years old, and we have to do a better job as an industry recruiting and retaining the next generation of construction professionals, and that’s our number one challenge right now.”
A January 2024 report from Associated Builders and Contractors estimates the industry needs to recruit a half million new workers across the United States this year to maintain and improve our built environment. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2023 population survey indicates more than 1 in 5 workers U.S. construction workers is 55 years-of-age or older. As the industry struggles to secure the manpower needed to keep up with demand for housing, civil infrastructure and industrial spaces, Pizatella says conversations like those happening at WVU Tech are critical.
“The jobs are there for these students. We have a scholarship fund where CAWV hands out about $25,000 a year to students pursuing these careers. We came to WVU Tech because I want our members to see this hidden gem in Southern West Virginia, to meet the students and faculty, and to see the facilities on this campus,” Pizatella said. “My goal today is that every junior or senior who wants to stay in West Virginia who comes to lunch with us and meets our board of directors walks away with a job offer or a contact they can work with to get a job when they graduate.”
Pizatella adds there are substantial opportunities for financial assistance for those interested in joining the field including the West Virginia Invests Program and employer-based assistance. Those interested in pursuing a Construction Management degree at WVU Tech can visit wvutech.edu/construction or for more information about other trade careers, visit cawv.org or buildwv.com.