KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As the need for trade workers continues to increase, trade schools and programs are trying to keep up with the demand.
Enrollment in mechanic and repair programs increased by nearly 12% from 2011 to 2022, according to the National Student Clearinghouse,
The number of students in construction courses jumped by nearly 20%.
Local construction and industry experts worry demand and an aging workforce may outpace the number of students they can hire to fill those positions.
Mindy Rocha, the owner and president of CJ Industries, is hoping to do something about the problem.
"Right now, we don't have enough workers in construction," Rocha said. "We don't have enough tradespeople in construction."
She was instrumental in a special program called the Heavy Metal Summer Experience.
The program taught students like her son, Chris, and more than two dozen others industry skills like soldering, welding and metalwork.
"I'd say it opened their eyes to another career path that they didn't have any idea about before," she said. "You really take a sense of pride when you know that you've changed your city skyline. You can drive through and say I helped build that and it's creating jobs for other people," she said.
