Before conducting home energy audits as LaGrange County REMC’s Energy Advisor, Jake Taylor was involved in building houses — from breaking ground to handing the keys to the new homeowner. He also taught a trades class to many of the young builders working on them and showed them the potential of a career.

Taylor spent more than a decade teaching at Fremont High School and Impact Institute, which teaches high school students a variety of trades. The lessons included carpentry, framing, heating and cooling, plumbing, and electrical work. Other trades, including welding, were also part of the program. The lessons involved learning by experience, with students helping to build houses from beginning to end.

“I’ve got several kids in my programs that have gone on to become electricians making six figures right now,” Taylor said. “Same with plumbers and others. They are doing really well.”

The program provided a career pathway for many students interested in the trades, filling a significant need. The Home Builders Institute (HBI) reported last year that by 2026, more than 2 million new skilled construction workers will be needed.

“Sometimes students didn’t like to sit and study or read a book, but they could work with their hands in an amazing fashion,” Taylor said. “When those kids get in those circumstances when they can work with their hands and build something, it was something that they took pride in.”

In its spring report, HBI cited data from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program showing that half of payroll workers in construction earn more than $58,500, while the top quarter makes at least $76,980. Both are well above the U.S. median wage and the top quartile range.

The construction workforce shortage appeared following the 2008 home mortgage crisis when many people left homebuilding and related trades, said Brian Kerkhoff, president of KA Components and chairperson of workforce development for the Builders Associations of Greater Lafayette. The shortage has grown as high school graduates pursued college or careers outside the construction or trades industries.

“We call it a winning lottery ticket,” Kerkhoff said of a career in the construction industry. “Turn in your ticket, if you will, at one of many companies building our communities with the potential to achieve a successful and gratifying career.”