Since the end of the COVID pandemic, building trades leaders across Ohio have been forecasting tremendous work opportunities for union construction members.

These predictions were affirmed when numerous building trades councils reported record man hours in 2021 and again in 2022.

During this time, these same leaders would talk about the need for more apprentices to not only replace retiring journeymen, but to help answer the call of busy signatory contractors during a historic building boom in Ohio.

In compiling its annual Apprenticeship Week Special Section (included with this edition), the Labor Citizen staff spoke with Training Directors and instructors around Ohio, and almost all mentioned that apprentice class sizes have increased – with some doubling or tripling in size.

Apprentices from first to fifth year are needed as the building trades man projects that will require thousands of construction workers. Megaprojects can be found throughout the state, most notably in Columbus, as tech giants want to make the Buckeye State its home. A megaproject is a private construction project valued at more than $1 billion.

In June, Amazon announced plans to invest nearly $8 billion to expand its datacenter presence in Central Ohio. This is in addition to other datacenter campus projects, for Google and Facebook.

The largest private project in the history of Ohio is Intel. This four-phase $100 billion project will result in the construction of eight state-of-the-art semiconductor plants, called fabs, in New Albany, needed to create Intel’s most advanced computer chips.

Original forecasts predicted at least 7,000 construction jobs for members of the building trades would be needed at Intel, but estimates are starting to go higher.

Many building trades Local Unions have rapidly increased their apprentice class sizes. Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 189 in Columbus is opening a new training center to better train more apprentices.

Local 189 prefers to keep class sizes manageable, around 20-22 to promote the highest training level, but has increased the number of classes, according to Business Manager Tim Ely.

Currently, Local 189 has 13 apprenticeship classes, with about 20 in each class. The number of apprentices in the five-year program has doubled over the past three years.

Local 189’s new training center is about 95 percent complete and is projected to be in full use by the end of the year.

“I highly recommend joining an apprenticeship. I think there is an opportunity for a great middle-class lifestyle. Unlike college students, apprentices won’t have student loan debt. This is a great opportunity for those with a good attitude and who will show up daily,” Ely said.

Ely says it is possible Local 189 will have over 400 apprentices in the program at some point in 2024.

Some of the larger projects starting up in Central Ohio are offering perks to attract the best workers, said Dorsey Hager, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council.

“These data and chip centers offer really good and clean work environments, and some offer warm meals for construction workers working at the site,” Hager said. “The construction industry has changed and evolved so much; and it will help us recruit new members.”

The workload, good wages and benefits has created a great demand for more highly skilled and highly trained building trades members. Completing a registered apprenticeship program is the fastest path to these prized opportunities.

“All trades need people, but plumbers, pipefitters, electricians and sheet metal workers are really in demand right now,” Hager said. “As the Honda Plant and the Intel Project progress, operating engineers, laborers and ironworkers will be in high demand.”

He noted that apprentices have a unique opportunity to learn, while working on high profile jobs.

In all, Hager believes the Central Ohio building boom will last at least another 10 years, which means apprentices could spend their entire apprenticeship working at one job site.

Central Ohio is not the only hotspot for construction in the state.

The workload in Northeast Ohio remains high as major projects require thousands of construction workers to complete.

Sherwin Williams, Cleveland Clinic, Progressive Field, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Police Headquarters, Case Western’s Research Center and several other major projects are in different phases within the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council jurisdiction.

For Dave Wondolowski, Business Manager and Executive Secretary of the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council, the current and future workload will keep his affiliated members busy well into the future.

“I expect this building boom will last at least five to six more years or longer,” Wondolowski said, adding that, “these larger, well-known projects definitely help attract more apprentices into the trade.”

Besides Cleveland and Columbus, the work outlook remains positive in other major Ohio regions including Dayton, Cincinnati and Toledo.

Looking ahead, two things are certain: The building boom is far from over, and opportunities exist for thousands of new apprentices to begin rewarding careers in the building trades across Ohio.