Construction students at Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center will soon have an opportunity to work with Columbus Department of Building and Zoning Services — and possibly land a permanent job with the city.
Columbus City Schools and the city’s Building and Zoning Services (BZS) department have partnered to provide students with hands-on experience that may help them secure jobs once they graduate, city officials told students this week at the career center on the Fort Hayes campus on the North Side.
Columbus Council President Pro Tem Rob Dorans told a group of Fort Hayes seniors Tuesday that the trades they were learning are essential to the future health of the city and region.
“We’re in a desperate need for more folks like you, to really think about their future and their ability to have an impact not only in Columbus today, but for decades to come,” Dorans said. “Central Ohio does not work if we do not have a workforce to build it.”
Construction services remains a high-demand industry throughout the country and the region, with Intel estimating a need for 7,000 construction workers for its Licking County semiconductor chip production facility, and with housing construction in Columbus rising to an 18-year high, according to a report by the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio earlier this month.
The Central Ohio Associated Builders and Contractors estimated earlier this year that there is a nationwide construction worker shortage of more than 500,000 people.
Fort Hayes senior Carter Robinson, 18, is studying construction services and said he was glad to see the city was placing a focus on his education and bringing opportunities to construction trade students.
“It’s definitely warming to see what our city is doing with the budget they provided,” Robinson said.
On Tuesday, city inspectors worked with students to explain their careers, the role of building codes and the relevance the department has for electricians, HVAC techs, construction workers, and other skilled trades workers. The new partnership will also roll out new programs that allow students to shadow BZS inspectors, mentorships, and opportunities for internships.
The program costs the city $80,000 to provide equipment to Fort Hayes, as well as the paid internships that pay $16 an hour over seven weeks for 20-hour work weeks, a city spokesperson said.
The city’s BZS department is also working on developing a post-graduate trainee program that could lead to full-time employment there. Scott Messer, director of the BZS, said that the starting pay range for inspectors is $60,000 to $70,000 annually.
“Everyone deserves the opportunity to earn good wages,” Messer said. “The skilled trades industry offers many opportunities for a career path that doesn’t necessarily look the same as the traditional emphasis on college.”
Robinson said he was interested in shadowing the BZS department before deciding if he was interested in the inspection and zoning side of construction.
“I would love to get further information and make sure that the kids are being treated as adults with respect to their time and experience within their trades,” Robinson said.
Columbus City School Board member Michael Cole said the new partnership reflected “one of the most unique opportunities this district has had in over 100 years.” He said he wanted to make sure the city fully funded the program.
“We want to continue these types of trends,” Cole said. “We want to make sure these opportunities continue, but they can’t if people don’t know about them.”
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