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W O R K F O R M E / S P R I N G 2 0 2 3 8 C oncerns about the future of Maine's construction work- force have less to do with the industry's incremental growth, and more to do with the high percentage of expected de- partures among skilled trades- people in the coming decade. "The [Maine] Department of Labor says we're growing at 2% [annually] over the next 30 years, but in eight years, 41% of the current carpenters are re- tiring," says David Eng, dean of Southern Maine Community Col- lege's department of construction technology and heavy equipment. It's a problem and an oppor- tunity for anyone who wants to use both their head and hands, and who doesn't mind occasional exertion and discomfort. In ex- change, Maine builders say, con- struction workers receive good pay, even better job security and a great deal of freedom to pursue a career that suits their interests. The projected worker short- fall has caused employers and educators to intensify and broaden their efforts to attract more Mainers into the trades. They've bolstered old approaches and invented new ones, such as short-duration courses and night classes to teach basic skills. One example is the Associated General Contractors of Maine's new Maine Construction Acad- emy, a program funded with federal COVID-19 relief money via the state Labor Department that is offering apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships in skills such as carpentry, welding, con- crete finishing, crane operation and heavy highway labor. The six-week programs, avail- able at seven sites across the state, will be able to accommo- date up to 140 participants in its inaugural year, with plans to double that capacity the fol- lowing year, says AGC Maine Executive Director Kelly Flagg. "There's a disconnect be- tween the existing educational programs that exist and the actu- al industry," Flagg says. "There's been a little bit of a challenge with getting students and/or P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Students Juno Gilman, Laurel Freedner and Mica Foster apply drywall in a class at the construction technology department at SMCC. David Eng, chair of the construction technology department at SMCC. Appetite for CONSTRUCTION B Y J . C R A I G A N D E R S O N Who will construct roads, bridges, homes, commercial buildings, energy infrastructure, and more when the state's veteran builders retire? $11K $22K $33K $55K $66K $44K $0 Carpenters: $48,600 Laborers: $38,500 Plumbers/pipefitters: $54,160 Electricians: $58,120 All occupations: $53,250 First-line supervisors: $64,340 M E D I A N C O N S T R U C T I O N PAY I N M A I N E ( 2 0 2 1 ) S O U R C E : Associated General Contractors of America; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics C o n s t r u c t i o n / T r a d e s