Construction careers are lucrative and rewarding, but recent trends suggest fewer people are pursuing these careers. In our experience, however, demand for access into trade careers has never been higher.
Our program connects adults experiencing poverty to careers in construction trades. We provide hands-on training, classroom education and social services to help people enter and succeed in registered apprenticeships. In June, 16 men and women graduated Building Futures’ 47th pre-apprenticeship class – the second of three cohorts this year.
In February, 283 people attended orientation for the recent class. The following week, 143 people completed applications, entering the candidate pool for one of 16 slots in our pre-apprenticeship program. At 11%, Building Futures’ pre-apprenticeship program has an extraordinarily competitive acceptance rate – second in Rhode Island only to Brown University, often cited at just above 5%.
Why is demand so high?
Because it works.
Graduates begin work as registered apprentices in one of 16 trades, learning on the job from fully skilled workers on large-scale construction projects. With over 460 pre-apprenticeship graduates having gone out to work, and a 90% apprenticeship retention rate, you would be hard-pressed to find a building or large infrastructure project where a Building Futures graduate hasn’t contributed.
Apprentices begin earning on Day 1. In 2025, our pre-apprenticeship graduates earned an average starting wage of $24.25 per hour, which will increase to approximately $40, with an additional $25 in benefits over the course of their three-to five-year apprenticeship program – all without student debt.
Union trades reward hard work. Few other careers offer a person returning to the community from incarceration such a swift pathway to successfully contributing to society and gaining self-sufficiency [36% of our graduates are formerly incarcerated; Building Futures now has an apprenticeship readiness program inside the Adult Correctional Institutions in partnership with the R.I. Department of Corrections].
GROWING TRADES
Construction demand is surging. New schools, roads and bridges are being built. Universities are expanding; exciting research facilities are underway. Building Futures, a nonprofit, is involved in 55 large-scale construction projects, with billions of dollars in additional projects forthcoming. We specialize in the commercial, civil, infrastructure and energy-generation subsectors. These known projects do not even capture residential construction demand.
Demand for our program and these lucrative careers is exceptionally high. Demand for skilled workers is also exceptionally high, due to an aging workforce and new openings resulting from sector growth. The construction workforce is projected to increase 10% by 2032. Four of Rhode Island’s fastest-growing occupations are construction trades. According to the Associated General Contractors 2025 Construction Outlook Survey Results, 69% of general contractors project that their workforce needs will increase, and 59% face challenges in filling positions due to an insufficient supply of workers.
Recent census data shows the percentage of younger construction workers in Rhode Island is decreasing, while the share of older construction workers is on the rise.
In 2004, workers older than 55 years comprised 13% of the construction workforce – now, they make up 28%. In 2024, young adults aged 19-24 made up only 8.2% of construction workers. This imbalance threatens the long-term capacity of R.I.’s construction industry.
What explains this workforce crisis? To adequately meet future demand, 1 of 5 employees on a job site today should be an apprentice. Contractors must employ more apprentices now but may have hesitations. For example, a subcontractor with a limited time frame and specific scope of work will often want fully trained journeyworkers, to maximize production in the short term.
Margins are tight and labor is the only variable. Jointly managed, registered apprenticeship programs only take in as many apprentices as they can anticipate providing continuous employment for during their apprenticeship – a responsible approach. But taken together, these two factors reinforce each other to create a growing workforce shortage.
ONE SOLUTION
The industry has a solution – Apprentice Utilization Programs. For instance, Brown University requires contractors to employ apprentices to perform 15% of all labor hours. The requirement applies to all contractors, so there is no disadvantage in employing apprentices.
Brown University ensures journeyworkers needed for tomorrow’s projects are trained today – and hundreds of Rhode Islanders gain new careers. If every project owner had a similar program, the joint-apprenticeship programs would take in larger classes of apprentices. Contractors would need more apprentices, and Building Futures would not have to turn away so many potential apprentices hungry for lifelong careers in construction.
(Andrew Cortés is CEO and president of Providence-based nonprofit Building Futures.)
