DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — High school students in the greater Lansing area are getting hands-on construction experience through the Eaton RESA construction program at Lansing Community College West, preparing for careers in an industry facing a workforce shortage.
- Students are building complete sheds while learning construction skills that could lead to management positions
- Michigan's construction industry has only 2,400 licensed builders aged 18-35 out of 50,000 total licensees
- The program aims to address workforce shortages that drive up construction costs across the state
Rome Cruz, a junior at Grand Ledge High School, spends part of his day learning construction skills at LCC West. His mother completed the same program and recommended it to him.
WATCH: High schoolers train to tackle Michigan construction workforce shortage
"So I've been around construction since I was little, I've been on construction sites very often," Cruz said.
This semester, students are building complete sheds with siding, roofing, floors and other components. The program provides early exposure to construction work that industry leaders say is critically needed.
Dawn Crandall with the Home Builders Association of Michigan said the average age of a licensed builder in Michigan is about 58 years old, creating an urgent need to attract younger workers.
"When you look at roughly the 50,000 some licensees in the state we only have about 2,400 in that 18-35 range and so the need is there, the demand is there," Crandall said.
The labor shortage is part of the reason construction costs are up across the industry.
"When you have that lack of labor and the lack of supply, it makes your labor cost more expensive," Crandall said.
Eaton RESA leaders hope their students can help fill the workforce gap by starting their careers soon after high school.
Ben Bever, director of the Career Prep Center, said students gain valuable leadership experience early in their careers.
"Early in their career opportunity to be a supervisor on a construction site, they're going to know what they need to lead on a construction site," Bever said.
Student Lyla Criscuolo said the program provides real-world job experience rather than traditional classroom learning.
"Coming to this class every morning and being able to feel like I'm doing a job and not sitting in the classroom," Criscuolo said.
Both Cruz and Criscuolo said they want to become construction managers who might build future homes.
"This hands-on work really opens your eyes to what you're going to experience," Cruz said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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