INVESTING IN THE FUTURE WORKFORCE From Awareness to Action:


Build California Launches e-cademy to Meet Workforce Needs


By Carol Eaton


an important mission: inspire, engage, and activate the next generation of construction workforce. Since then, the comprehensive workforce development initiative has made significant inroads—reaching 7.5 million Californians through its outreach and programmatic efforts, tallying over 55,000 engagements (likes, shares, or comments) with its online content, and drawing over 31,000 visitors to its website at https://buildcalifornia.com/. Beyond the numbers, Build


T


California is making real progress on its goals to change the narrative about what the construction industry is and to create a pipeline into the industry that meets current and future workforce needs. Build California officially launched


its newest initiative—the Build California e-cademy—in August 2021 to further advance these goals. “It’s another way to change hearts and minds and reach young people, and really lead them from awareness to action,” commented Abigail Palomares, Build California Manager.


wo years ago, AGC of California launched Build California with


Addressing the Disconnect Te e-cademy is designed to


address a disconnect between the many opportunities that exist for careers in construction and the awareness of them or understanding of how to access them by young people. As Palomares explained, the gap


includes something as simple as under- standing what pre-apprenticeships or apprenticeships are and how to pursue one; what exactly are the different jobs


in construction and what skills do they require; or what is the best path to a construction management career. “I’m fairly new to this industry


myself, and I didn’t know how dynamic it is,” Palomares commented. “Trough Build California’s e-cademy, our goal is to increase awareness and expose young people to careers in the industry, as well as position Build California as the first entry point on a construction career pathway and as a feeder into union-supported pre-appren- ticeship/apprenticeship programs and/or college programming.” Palomares and Erin Volk,


AGC Vice President, Workforce and Community Development and Executive Director of the Construction Education Foundation (CEF), were part


12 September/October 2021 California Constructor


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