Amid a construction boom in Northeast Ohio, affiliated Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council unions are hosting a career fair to encourage more men and women to join their apprenticeship programs.

On March 27 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council will host a career fair at the Pipefitters Local 120 Union Hall, located at 6305 Halle Drive in Cleveland. Women, Cleveland residents and people of color are encouraged to attend.

The event is an excellent opportunity for high school students, college students or anyone considering a new career to learn about the great opportunities offered through registered apprenticeship programs.

Individuals seeking new daily challenges who like to work with their hands are good apprenticeship candidates – especially those who do not want to spend their days behind a desk.

Building trades registered apprenticeship programs provide an excellent alternative to college, as they offer men and women a direct path to a middle-class lifestyle.

The earn-while-you-learn apprenticeship model incorporates classroom instruction and hands-on, on-the-job training with experienced journeymen. This is in addition to good wages, excellent healthcare and retirement benefits, plus scheduled raises as a person improves their skillset.

Compared to most first-year college graduates, first-year journeymen will usually earn a higher hourly rate, have better health insurance, have begun to save for their retirement and are not burdened with student loan debt that for some individuals, can easily reach six figures.

Apprenticeships also allow men and women the ability to develop and hone their skills, while learning how to perform their duties safely and efficiently. They earn industry-leading OSHA certifications to help keep them safe on the job, and work under the protections of a Collective Bargaining Agreement.

For individuals who want to consider a career in the building trades, the career fair offers them an opportunity to speak directly with tradesmen and tradeswomen who work in the union construction industry. These conversations can help potential apprentices gain a better understanding of what it takes to work in a specific trade.

Besides the need to replace the retiring Baby Boomer generation, a building boom in Greater Cleveland, and other parts of Ohio, has amplified the need a large skilled workforce.

Doreen Cannon, Chair of the Cleveland Building Trades Tradeswomen Committee, said this is a great opportunity to begin a career in the building trades.

“Work is so good in Ohio, especially the Cleveland area,” she said. “Everyone is looking.”

Some of the marquee projects in the region include the Sherwin-Williams headquarters in downtown Cleveland, the Sherwin-Williams R & D Center in Brecksville, two Cleveland Clinic facilities on main campus, multiple school projects, renovation work on Progressive Field (following completion of the upcoming baseball season) and Bedrock’s riverfront development.

Over the next few years, there is expected to be roughly $10 billion in work for the building trades in the Cleveland Building Trades jurisdiction.

At the career fair, representatives from various trades will be on hand to discuss how apprenticeships can lead to fulfilling careers as tradesmen and tradeswomen and other opportunities within the construction industry.

“We always tell the apprentices that once they are a journeyman, their career can go in many different directions,” Cannon said. “After they learn the trade, they can move into positions where they use more technology.

Other opportunities for journeyman can range from working as a foreman, estimator or purchaser to becoming a general superintendent or even owning your own business.

The event also provides attendees with the ability to learn more about the apprenticeship application process for each individual Local Union.

The career fair is made possible by a partnership between the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council, Affiliated Construction Trades (ACT) Ohio, Cleveland Builds and the Cleveland Tradeswomen Committee.