We'll address finite solutions to the remodeling workforce in the February issue of Remodeling. In the meantime, we asked some of our sources to think big. Here are a few of their suggestions:

David Yost, a CTE building construction teacher at Greenbrier East High School, Lewisburg, W.Va.:

"The greatest PR/advertising agency would be our nation's government. ... If our government and our education system are not behind CTE [career and technical education], youth will not be behind it either. Once our youth are convinced that the trades provide just as much opportunity, if not more, then they might begin to get interested. If our government and the education system play down CTE, which they do, we will not win the hearts and minds of the young people."

Brindley Byrd, executive director of the Capital Area Construction Council of Lansing, Mich.:

"I would like to see the construction industry be recognized as a cornerstone of the economy in a positive way. I want young people and anybody who wants a decent job to know that you can give yourself the lifestyle you want by continuing on a career in construction [far beyond actually wearing a toolbelt], just as I have. Most importantly, I want the industry to come together to get that message out to the country as a whole. This really needs to be industry-driven. The industry needs to embrace the idea of apprenticeships, and needs to embrace the idea of finding and creating the workers they need."

Jerry Liu, owner of D.G. Liu Contractor, Dickerson, Md.:

"Change has to happen at the national level. Some senator or member of congress will be trying to remodel his house and won't be able to find anybody to do it. He'll tell another senator and when it hurts enough they'll form a committee that says, 'we've got to do something about this.'"

"Seriously, it's going to be a huge effort. The labor situation has to reach a crisis level. Think about the unionization of our country; it was akin to civil war in the coal mines and slaughter houses. People got killed over it, and it didn't resolve until the federal government got involved and regulated it. That's where this is going to go."

"As a model, think of the Marines. You've seen the commercials: the knight in digital armor slaying the digital dragon. There's no blood, no drill sergeant standing on your back. The US marines have not changed in 100 years. All that's changed is the image they're selling, and they've been meeting recruiting quotas as a result. They did this with the backing of the federal government."

Dave Snyder, a school support specialist and special education teacher at the Career and Technology Center of Frederick County (Maryland) Public Schools:

Here a few suggestions the remodeling industry may want to address to help promote career education:

  • Volunteer at existing career and technical schools. Offer students opportunities to get out on the jobs to see what remodeling is all about.
  • Contact local elected officials and school boards to get the word out that career and technical programs are important and beneficial.
  • Get involved with after school programs and activities. After school and community projects are a way to get the word out about remodeling without fighting the public school system
  • Start unskilled workers with a higher wage for a probationary period. As a work study coordinator I often have kids with basic skills who decided to work at a convenience store instead of in there field of study because it paid a couple of dollars more.
  • Get the word out that No Child Left Behind is not preparing students for the world of work.

"The future generation of workers has many challenges. They have been babied, and schools and parents have not held them accountable for their actions. Employers will need to treat and train them differently. They will need more direction and we will need to take the edge off how we interact with them."