Construction Sector Partnership set for Sept. 27 launch

Effort aims at promoting careers in the industry

The Construction Sector Partnership, part of the state-backed Sector Partnership Initiatives aimed at beefing up the state’s workforce pipelines, will be officially launched on Thursday, Sept. 27, during New Hampshire Construction Career Days, in New Boston.

The initiative, co-led by Wayne Symonds, executive vice president at Methuen Construction Company in Plaistow, and Alex Phelps, vice president of construction at Pike Industries in Belmont, is focused on promoting careers in construction. They will oversee a Construction Sector Partnership advisory group made up of industry representatives who will work with workforce development professionals, the education community, local economic development professionals and others to help highlight career opportunities in the sector.

Occupations in the sector include equipment operators, carpenters, welders, civil engineers, safety professionals, surveyors and plumbers, among many others. 

There were about 32,000 construction sector jobs in New Hampshire in 2017, with a projected 3 percent increase between 2018 and 2022, according to the SPI.

Since 2013, the state’s construction sector has grown by 10 percent, and the current median age of construction industry employees is 42 years old, making it the third-oldest state in the country., SPI said.

About 22 percent of people working in the industry are 55 or older and are expected to retire within the next 10 years. In 2016 alone, the Granite State’s roughly 4,500 construction-related companies posted 1,625 job openings, an indication of how competitive the sector’s hiring market is already.

“As we have seen with the other NH SPI sectors, an industry-led sector partnership can bring together critical stakeholders to develop and implement a coordinated strategy to significantly expand and enhance the talent pipeline for the construction industry, as well as address other critical challenges,” said Symonds. 

More than 1,900 high school students from 54 middle and high schools are expected to attend the 10th annual NH Construction Career Days, which is intended to bring students together with construction and transportation industries to explore career options through hands-on activities. 

Construction Career Days take place from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sept. 27-28 at 4-H Grounds, Hillsborough County Youth Center Foundation, 15 Hilldale Lane, New Boston. The official launch of the Construction Sector Partnership will begin at 1 p.m. Sept. 27 in the Charles Buck Barn on the 4-H Grounds.

For more information about the Construction Sector Partnership, contact Amada Savage at 603-224-5388, ext. 102, or asavage@biaofnh.com.