Huntsville might be big now, but we’re only going to get bigger. Which bears the question: Who will build it all?

hbjdrakestatelogo As the most-populous city in Alabama, growth has been exponential in the Rocket City. Everywhere, as far as the eye can see in Madison County, it’s an endless sea of red clay, ubiquitously peppered with a host of cranes and steel girders reaching to the sky and orange cones and yellow bulldozers dotting the landscape. Businesses are expanding and breaking ground almost daily.

For quite some time, it’s been no secret that there’s been a labor shortage in the construction industry. Despite the many new business ventures taking root, there have been equally as many construction delays. Time is money and the longer the delay, the more business revenue that goes unrealized.

As this growth continues, builders are finding themselves overwhelmed and stretched far too thin. To accommodate this unprecedented growth, Huntsville-Madison County needs more skilled construction workers.

Training a solid workforce is essential in combating the considerable labor shortage. To meet the needs of the construction industry, Drake State Community & Technical College established its Commercial Construction Training program.

In this program, students will develop technical skills, along with learning the basics of commercial construction and safety fundamentals. In just a matter of eight weeks, students can become certified builders.

This is a training program that delivers. In two months, program graduates can land good-paying jobs. Due to the industry-wide labor shortage, the job market is wide open with opportunity.

Since the program’s inception, local contractors have offered Drake State graduates full-time employment opportunities – The placement rate has been 100%.

In its 60th year, Drake State has been a reliable educational mainstay in the Huntsville community. By offering a variety of flexible and affordable university-transfer and technical degrees and certificates, along with customized skills training, Drake State endeavors to fulfill the diverse workforce need of employers.

“It’s difficult to meet business demands, so we want to do our part by training the skilled workers companies need right now,” said Karen Ray, Drake State’s Placement and Apprenticeships Coordinator.

Full tuition assistance is available to eligible students and the application deadline is Tuesday. Visit https://www.drakestate.edu/workforce-development/commercialconstruction-training or call 256-551-5227.