Home Builders Combat Labor Shortage With Training Program

Colorado home builders are fighting a severe labor shortage in their industry. Now, they’re offering a new training program to try to address that.

Perhaps no industry was hurt more during the recession than construction. Colorado companies shed a staggering 58,ooo jobs, meaning that roughly one in three construction workers were out of work. Half a decade later, in the midst of an economic boom, there’s plenty of work but the industry is struggling to fill positions.

That’s where the Workforce of Today program comes in. The Home Builders Association of Metro Denver says they’ll offer training courses for adults 21 and over. But they’re also looking to younger generations y focusing, in part, on training high school drop outs. There’s a feeling in the industry that kids and millennials don’t want to work with their hands or work outside.

Meanwhile, companies report having to raise wages to attract labor.