The Crisis Behind the Skilled Trades Shortage
The construction industry faces a deepening workforce crisis. For years, home builders across the country have struggled to find qualified tradespeople, and the gap between available jobs and skilled workers continues to widen. In Iowa, one man set out to change that. Brandon Patterson, a co-founder of the Alliance for the Skilled Trades, has helped raise $2 million to launch the Skilled Trades Academy, a regional pre-apprenticeship program serving high school students at the Central Campus of Des Moines Public Schools. Training the next wave of tradespeople is not just a local concern. It is a national imperative that demands coordinated action from builders, educators, and industry leaders.
The numbers tell a stark story. Baby Boomers are retiring from the trades at an accelerating rate, and younger generations have not been filling those vacancies. Guidance counselors and parents have spent decades steering students toward four-year college degrees, leaving the trades stigmatized as a second-tier career path. But the economics tell a different story. Apprentices in the skilled trades often earn more coming out of their programs than college graduates, and they carry little to no student debt. The challenge is not just about recruitment. It is about rebuilding an entire pipeline from awareness to apprenticeship to long-term career growth.
How the Skilled Trades Academy Built a Coalition for Change
Patterson understood that no single organization could solve the skilled labor shortage alone. The Alliance for the Skilled Trades brought together a diverse coalition including unions, nonunion contractors, vendors, suppliers, the Iowa Department of Education, and workforce programs like Future Ready Iowa. This coalition approach proved essential for pooling resources, aligning curricula, and reaching students across the state.
Funding the Vision
The $2 million raised for the Skilled Trades Academy came entirely from private donations within the construction industry. Home builders, tool manufacturers, and suppliers contributed directly, giving them a vested interest in the program’s outcomes. The academy opened in 2017 and quickly became a model for other communities. A $150,000 grant later funded a phase two build-out worth $600,000 to $800,000, adding more classrooms to meet growing demand.
A Unified Curriculum
One of the biggest hurdles in trade education is the fragmentation between different training standards. The Skilled Trades Academy addressed this by working with both the Home Builders Institute (HBI) curriculum and the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) framework. The welding school, already the longest-running program on the Central Campus, was folded into the academy’s structure. This unified approach means students get recognized credentials regardless of whether they pursue union or nonunion career paths.
The Evening That Changed Perceptions
To combat the stigma surrounding trade careers, Patterson and his team organized “An Evening to Bring the Significance Back to the Trades” in September 2017. The event featured former Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe and attracted more than 1,600 attendees. Teachers and students attended for free, removing financial barriers to participation. The evening raised money for scholarships, academy programs, and the Build My Future tour. It was a deliberate strategy to shine a spotlight on careers that had been overlooked for too long.
Hands-On Recruitment: The Build My Future Model
Classroom learning alone is not enough to capture the imagination of young people considering their career options. The Build My Future events took a different approach. Over four events across Iowa, 3,000 students from sixth through twelfth grade got direct hands-on experience with the tools and tasks that define the trades.
What Students Actually Did
- Operated mini excavators under professional supervision
- Tried welding with guidance from certified instructors
- Practiced roofing techniques on mock structures
- Learned basic carpentry and framing skills
- Explored heavy equipment operation in a safe, controlled environment
For many of these students, it was the first time they had ever used professional tools or considered a career in construction. The immersive format proved far more effective than career fairs or brochures. When students could literally feel what it was like to weld a joint or operate an excavator, their interest shifted from abstract possibility to tangible ambition.
Scaling Across the State
The success in Des Moines sparked similar programs elsewhere. Donations from the initial event also funded workforce development in Waterloo and Cedar Falls, where a collaboration between area high schools and Kirkwood Community College accelerated a program originally planned for 2020, opening it in 2018 instead. Iowa Skilled Trades was launched as a statewide initiative to deliver a consistent message about career opportunities across all regions of the state. Each Build My Future event was tailored to the local labor market, connecting students with nearby training programs and employers.
| Program Element | Des Moines | Waterloo/Cedar Falls | Northwest Iowa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inaugural Year | 2017 | 2018 | Ongoing |
| Funding Source | $2M private donations | Accelerated via event donations | $3M-$8M self-funded |
| Core Curriculum | HBI + NCCER | Community college partnership | Manufacturer-led |
| Student Reach | High school, Central Campus | Regional high schools | Factory-based training |
| Key Partners | Unions, vendors, Dept. of Ed | Kirkwood Community College | Vermeer, Pella Corp |
Building a Sustainable Workforce Pipeline for the Future
The hardest part of any workforce development initiative is sustaining momentum after the initial launch. Patterson recognized that going back to the same donors repeatedly is not a viable long-term strategy. His team is working on sustainable funding models that include tracking metrics, employer partnerships, and scholarship programs that allow programs to grow without constant fundraising.
Tracking Outcomes That Matter
One of the most critical gaps in trade education has been the lack of outcome data. How many students go on to two-year trade programs? How many actually enter the workforce? How many leave the trades altogether? The Skilled Trades Academy is building a metrics system to track these outcomes, giving donors and educators the data they need to validate their investments. Finding and keeping top talent starts with knowing where potential workers are coming from and what keeps them in the industry.
Employer-Led Training Models
Some of the most effective programs in Iowa are manufacturer-led. Companies like Pella Corporation work directly with local high schools, allowing students to work at factories during summer months and even during the school year. Those students can graduate and walk directly into jobs paying $50,000 to $70,000 per year. Vermeer, a major industrial equipment manufacturer, runs similar programs. These employer-led models are attractive because they align training directly with workforce needs, and they create a seamless transition from education to employment.
Changing the Guidance Counselor Mindset
Patterson identified a persistent obstacle: guidance counselors and teachers who were themselves raised on the message that college is the only path to success. Many of these educators are still steering students away from the trades even as the economics of college debt become harder to justify. A career readiness packet was developed with the Iowa Department of Education and Iowa Workforce Development to give counselors accurate information about trade career earnings and advancement opportunities. Retaining good construction employees depends in part on starting with workers who entered the industry through informed choice rather than default.
The National Network
Patterson is now forming a national coalition that includes Lowe’s Generation T, Craig Tools, SkillsUSA, and NCCER. The monthly calls bring together thought leaders in workforce development to share best practices, compare what is working across different states, and coordinate efforts rather than duplicate them. The goal is to create a scalable model that any community can adapt to its own labor market conditions. Developing the next generation of industry leaders requires a national commitment to changing how we talk about and invest in trade careers.
What Builders Can Do Right Now
- Partner with local schools. Reach out to your area high schools and community colleges. Offer to host job shadow days, donate materials for shop classes, or speak at career fairs. Direct engagement is the most effective recruitment tool available.
- Invest in apprenticeship programs. Whether union or nonunion, structured apprenticeship paths give new workers a clear ladder from entry-level to journeyman status. Builders who invest in training their own workforce see higher retention and better quality.
- Show up at hands-on events. Programs like Build My Future rely on industry volunteers to staff stations, supervise activities, and talk to students about real career experiences. Your personal story can be the one that changes a young person’s trajectory.
- Support sustainable funding models. Rather than writing a check once and walking away, commit to multi-year partnerships that give training programs predictable budgets. Track the outcomes of your investment and adjust based on what works.
- Challenge the college narrative. When you speak at schools or community events, share the real numbers: trade apprenticeship earnings, job placement rates, advancement opportunities, and the financial freedom that comes with little to no student debt.
The skilled trades pipeline is not beyond repair, but it will not fix itself. The work happening in Iowa demonstrates that a determined coalition of builders, educators, and industry partners can rebuild the pathways that connect young people to rewarding careers in construction. The lessons from Des Moines, Waterloo, and the statewide Build My Future tour are replicable in any market. What matters is the willingness to start, the patience to sustain, and the commitment to measure what works.