Construction industry unites to launch Go Build America, a nationwide workforce initiative

Updated Jan 9, 2018

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Across the nation, employers need more than a million workers to meet construction industry demand – but the work force is shrinking, becoming older, and fewer young people are entering the trades.

The average age of a tradesman today is 47, and only one out of 10 are women, according to Go Build America, a newly launched industry-driven recruiting program.

Now, more than seven years after the launch of Go Build Alabama, this new national organization – Go Build America – is expanding upon the Alabama, Tennessee and California state programs.

The mission of this industry-driven program is to provide critical recruitment resources directly to employers and associations across the country to rebrand and promote the skilled trades.

“Our industry has seen an unprecedented demand for skilled workers following the Great Recession, which has only been compounded by recent natural disasters along the gulf coast and out west,” says Bob Woods, CEO and president of Go Build America. A 40-year veteran of the construction industry, he’s also first executive director of Go Build Alabama.

“In our discussions all throughout the U.S., workforce groups, training programs and companies continue to call on us to collaborate on working to address this continued crisis, we’ve also realized at the national level that no marketing campaign of this magnitude is promoting the multitude of construction-related career paths – especially as President Trump seeks to strengthen America’s workforce and create five million new apprenticeships,” Woods says in a press release.

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“This new initiative will allow organizations large and small to utilize and benefit from our proven outreach strategy and connectivity tools – and bring our entire industry together with one cohesive message: Go Build America.”

The new website includes new and enhanced versions of the highly popular videos, infographics and messaging featured in Go Build state programs. It’s designed to reach out to people of all ages, from high school students to seasoned laborers.

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Information to advance your business from industry suppliers
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Importantly, the website offers skilled tradesmen and women the opportunities to post their resumes and search for job openings throughout the country.

And employers will soon be able to post openings. An easily-navigable job board that’s being launched in January will allow any U.S. company or organization to post job listings free. They’ll receive exclusive access to the online resume bank offered to Go Build America program partners, the organization says.

Steve Sandherr, CEO of Associated General Contractors of America and a Go Build board member, calls Go Build America “the nation’s most comprehensive workforce development initiative.”