Construction Ready

A new piece from WABE looks back on the recent SkillsUSA National Championships and includes this quote from our own CEO, Scott Shelar: “In Georgia and construction, specifically, we need about 10,000 new workers right now … if every person on the floor right now raised their hand and said I want to go to work in construction, we could find a good job for them.” Read the full story below! #constructionready #constructionindustry #skilledtrades #constructioncareers #rewardingcareers

Job opportunities are in the news today, and we are happy to be part of the conversation! Watch this report from WSB-TV, which includes a look at our recent training class in Clayton County. #constructionready #constructionindustry #skilledtrades #georgiajobs

Be safe and enjoy this Independence Day! #constructionready #fourthofjuly #independenceday

These 21 young men and women – all recent high school graduates in Clayton County – make up our latest pre-apprenticeship graduating class at Perry Career Academy. We wish them the best as they begin their new careers in the construction industry! #constructionready #constructionindustry #skilledtrades #careers #constructioncareers #rewardingcareers #constructioneducation Clayton County Public Schools

Meet Cody Kelley, a rising senior at Lee County High School who’s working as a welder at Kenny’s Truck & Trailer Repair in Albany. Cody took a construction safety course as a freshman, then chose instructor John Wanner’s welding program as a career pathway. As he recalls, “When I saw welding [as an option], I thought, ‘Hey, I’ve never done something like this. Let’s take that challenge and figure it out.’ I started welding and I couldn’t do it to save my life for like the first two weeks, but then I finally picked it up and I was like, ‘This is awesome!’” Cody plans to attend welding school after graduation, either at Georgia Trade School in Acworth or Tulsa Welding School in Jacksonville, Florida. In the meantime, he’s a Work Based Learning (WBL) student for company owner Kenny Freeman, who commends Cody for “a really good work ethic” and being “eager to learn.” On that last point, Cody says he and his parents have a routine. “When I get home from work, my parents ask me, ‘What did you learn?’” he explains. “If I can’t give them an answer, they say, ‘You didn’t work today.’ But every single night I give them an answer and they can see that I took notice of what I did.” Cody’s work at Kenny’s covers a wide range of repairs and other challenges. “What’s good about him working here is we don’t do the same thing every day,” Freeman says. “There’s always a repair needed, and nothing breaks the same way. He’s put flooring in a trailer. He’s put a curtainside trailer together. He’s learning a lot of different skills.” Cody began his WBL work in early 2024, so by the time he graduates from Lee County in 2025 and heads off to welding school, he’ll have a big head start in his profession. “I’m dead set on welding as a career,” he says. #constructionready #iamconstructionready #constructioncareers #skilledtrades #successstories #thursdaythrivers Georgia Department of Education

It’s always exciting to see the SkillsUSA National Championships take place here in Georgia. Here, our CEO, Scott Shelar, meets with National Roofing Contractors Association members on the competition floor. #constructionready #constructionindustry #skilledtrades #skillscompetition #skillsusa

SkillsUSA COO Jason Scales addressed our Board this morning during a meeting at the organization’s National Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta. Jason shared his goal of increasing SkillsUSA participation to 1 million students by 2030, and led a discussion on how we can align together to help make that happen. A couple of other points to note: 1) Jason’s new SkillsUSA gear is provided by Ariat International. We look forward to a continued and deepening partnership with this world-class maker of apparel, footwear and accessories for all types of outdoor and work environments! 2) A couple of these meeting-room seats were empty for good reason – we applaud the CR Board members who were serving as volunteers for various competitions in the SkillsUSA National Championships. #constructionready #constructionindustry #skilledtrades #skillscompetition #skillsusa #constructioneducation

We say it all the time: There’s great demand for men and women who can fill construction jobs in the U.S. That fact is reinforced by ManpowerGroup’s Talent Shortage Survey, which shows skilled trades remain the hardest jobs to fill for the seventh year in a row. Check out the need for different construction trades on the interactive map at https://lnkd.in/gqFhnER4 , where Georgia ranks among the states with the highest demand for skilled trades jobs. #constructionready #constructionindustry #skilledtrades #constructioneducation

Meet Kelli Smalls, a Construction Ready Pre-Apprenticeship graduate who’s prospering in property maintenance with RangeWater Real Estate. We’ve watched Kelli grow in her career – she was one of our Graduate of the Year award winners in 2022 – and we love seeing her develop as a leader at RangeWater. Read Kelli’s story at https://lnkd.in/ep9BTP4S #constructionready #iamconstructionready #constructioncareers #skilledtrades #successstories

Construction Manager and Electrician rank among the Top-10 highest-paying trade jobs in 2024, and Indeed recently reported that the average salary for a trade job in America is $61,900, with some occupations paying much more even for entry-level positions. Read more about the skilled-trades job market in the Fox5 Atlanta report below. Want to get in on the action? We can help – go to  https://lnkd.in/gpf3dVHT and submit the application to begin the process! #constructionready #constructionindustry #skilledtrades #constructioncareers #rewardingcareers