CAGC Contractors Pledge Big to Support Industry Workforce

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Feb 18, 2020, 12:29 ET

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The largest deficit in the construction industry in the Carolinas is people. We have the work; we just don't have the workers. Carolinas AGC (CAGC) and our members are eagerly addressing the workforce shortage—we aren't simply talking about it. As CAGC celebrates our 100^th Anniversary in 2020, our Build Your Career (BYC) program already has launched into a productive year as members donate financial support, time and expertise to ensure the construction industry's workforce grows to meet the needs of the available construction work.

Most recently, CAGC members (made up of contractors, suppliers, and service providers) pledged nearly $118,000 to the BYC program through the newly introduced BYC 50/50 Donation Campaign. This member-driven fundraising initiative is designed to give members a say in how they want their BYC contributions used—in their community at a local school, and also within the BYC program itself. In other words, 50% of a donation supports construction education at the member's chosen school, and the other 50% goes directly to an existing BYC program of their choice.

CAGC members are also donating their time and expertise to promote careers in construction. In early 2019, there were nearly 80 Carolinas AGC members who served as BYC Ambassadors to assist us with our mission. As we've ramped up program development and engagement across the Carolinas, those numbers have steadily increased to more than 170 industry professionals who actively participate in a variety of BYC construction education outreach programs—a 70% increase from where we were this time last year and over a 100% increase from our numbers in 2018. But we're not stopping there! BYC's goal for 2020 is to increase the number of active Ambassadors to 250 – a mighty but obtainable goal considering our members' passion for growing the construction industry's workforce.

Specifically, BYC's Contractors in the Classroom school visit program has been incredibly successful since inception last February, when BYC first partnered with CAGC member Trident Construction (based in Charleston, SC). Since the launch of Contractors in the Classroom, BYC Ambassadors have visited more than 50 schools around the Carolinas (elementary, middle, and high schools) to promote construction career awareness, and 428 schools have registered to participate.

To learn more about Carolinas AGC's Build Your Career program, including how to support our long-term goals, please visit www.buildyourcareer.us, or contact Tammy Ford, Director of Build Your Career, at (704) 995-3901 or [email protected].

SOURCE Carolinas AGC