1. Careers in Construction
Keith Ouzts
Vice President of Workforce Development
Montana Contractors’ Association

2. Why a career in construction?

3. Construction offers lots of opportunities
Welder
Carpenter
Heavy Equip Operator
Crane Operator
Concrete Finisher
Electrician
HVAC Technician
Laborer
Industrial Insulation
Ironworker
Painter
Plumber
Masonry
Hydroblaster

4. Control your career path
Why construction?
Holiday Inn (crew, benefits, job satisfaction, good pay, skilled workers)
Construction is probably the only industry where one can enter into it as a 18 year old unskilled laborer, and through hard work and determination, become the owner or president of your own company before you are 30 years old. Don’t let the term “laborer” mislead you. Without laborers, no construction project would ever get out of the gates. Although the laborer is not “skilled” in a specific trade, they all learn about carpentry, concrete placement, heavy equipment operations, surveying, materials management and other areas. Many laborers move on to a specific trade, after taking some time to decide which one they prefer.

5. Do you need construction training?
Montana Vo-Tech schools
Apprenticeships
Military
Unions
On-the-job training
Many Montana construction outfits prefer the on-the-job training aspect. They can take an individual right out of high school, and monitor their performance and attitude over the summer. If that individual shows up on time, doesn’t do drugs, and works hard – most companies will offer trade-specific training to help them attain a skilled trade. The company is willing to INVEST in that individual.

6. Where can you learn more?
Visit: Click on “Let’s Build MT”

7. Four-year college Two-year college Four-year apprenticeship
Let’s compare the costs
Four-year college
Two-year college
Four-year apprenticeship
Who’s paying for college? Mom and dad? Student loans? Scholarships? Show me the Benjamins!! Whether or not you graduate, Bernie Sanders is not going to keep you from being required to pay back your student loans.

8. Four-year college (in-state)
Montana State University Bozeman
Tuition and Fees (semester) - $3,575
Room and Board (semester) - $4,625
Books and Supplies (semester) - $675
Cost (semester) - $8,875
Four-year total - $71,000
!! In 2014, nearly half (49.6 percent) of MSU freshmen graduated within six years, the second highest graduation rate since Universities and the federal government typically use six-year graduation rates for comparisons, because so many students take time off to work, change majors or have other reasons for taking longer to graduate. Less than half of all people attending MSU graduate. (Bozeman Daily Chronical, Aug 23, 2015) Same at UM: 51% graduate within that 6-year period. The bottom line is: is a 4-year college degree really necessary?

9. Two-year college (in-state)
Montana State University Billings
Tuition and Fees (semester) - $2,913
Room and Board (semester) - $3,675
Cost (semester) - $6,588
Two-year total - $26,352
That’s a lot easier to swallow than $70K. You leave college earlier, enter the workforce earlier, and begin earning money to pay back your student loans earlier as well.

10. Apprenticeship Sheet metal worker
Four years, 8,000 hours combined classroom and on- site training
$26.37/hour median journeyman wage
Apprenticeship wage begins at 50 percent of the journeyman wage, increasing by 5 percent every six months until the apprenticeship is completed.
Many employers pay for a portion of the classroom training.
The costs here are minimal – probably room & board at the training location. But you are earning a wage and a skill. Many apprentices find that apprenticeship provides them with a financial base far beyond what their college friends have. A financial base that offers them the opportunity to buy a vehicle and have it paid off before their college friends even graduate! That same financial base then provides the chance for home ownership and building of equity in the home as well.

11. Here’s how it breaks down
Apprenticeship
No debt
Own new vehicle
Four years of experience
Ready to start a job at $18 hour
$34,560 year
Two-year
$13,250 in debt
Looking for a job
Four-year $26,500 in debt Looking for a job
$34K a year in commercial construction will typically come with a benefit package as well. The benefit package usually contains health insurance for the individual and family; retirement or 401K savings plans, and sometimes even life insurance. The benefits package is usually discussed as a $10-15 per hour benefit paid by the employer on behalf of the apprentice/worker.

12. Construction is the winner!

13. Careers in Construction

14. Questions?