Construction Career Exploration Tools and Teaching Materials

Construction Career Foundation offers middle, and high school teachers and guidance counselors access to teaching materials, success stories, videos, and other content to explore construction careers with their students. The resources and tools listed below can help students better understand how they can pursue a career in the construction trades – similar to the steps students need to take to enter college or the military.

Are you:

Looking for resources on how to talk to students about careers in construction?

This tool from Department of Labor & Industry provides both an in depth and quick look at resources available for learning more about careers in construction.  Use a quick look, detailed, or interactive version to learn about careers in construction.

This model gives the different pathways someone might take into the construction industry. Construction Workforce Career Path Model.

A video to show in the classroom that demystifies working in construction by Mortenson.

Needing Materials for your classroom?

Posters & Infographics are available for download and can be printed and distributed to promote and educate about careers in construction.

Searching for activities students can look into now?

Construct Tomorrow, offers hands-on construction events for students as a field trip. For 18+ year old’s Building Strong Communities is an apprentice preparatory program and for 12th graders Lake Street Works is an after school workforce development program. The Department of Education offers resources to prepare individuals for a career in Trade & Industry. Attend Blueprints to the Trades: A Speaker Series, hosted by CCF for an introduction into construction apprenticeship programs.

Interested in next steps for students after high school graduation?

Check out our list of scholarships directed towards people looking to enter the building & construction trades. This spreadsheet is an exhaustive list of higher education institutions offering construction related courses. The Department of Labor & Industry offers basic information on Apprenticeship & the MN Building Trades lay out the history and importance of apprenticeship in the building & construction trades. For specific information on working in construction in Norther MN check out  Trades 218.

Seeking information on wages and demand for future construction careers?

This Career Counseling Resource is a summary of many resources on careers in construction and skilled trades like websites, training providers, paid and unpaid experiential learning & events. Help students start their career exploration with the Career Pathway Tool by showing how their educational path matches employment opportunities, and use the tool to inform educators on how curriculum, initiatives, and programming relate to labor market realities. The Career & Education Explorer tool from the Department of Employment and Economic Development shows wages, demand & opportunities for many occupations.