With 29 percent of its workforce expected to retire by 2026, construction industry representatives are partnering with regional educators to promote construction career opportunities to students.

The new Go Pro STEM program kicked off its first event Thursday at the Green River Educational Cooperative. Rendy Belcher, a GRREC employee who led the event, said the series will focus on careers related to STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math. Future events could focus on careers in allied health, for example.

“We’re trying to increase communication between educators and construction,” Belcher said.

Through the morning and early afternoon, presentations and discussions focused on how educators and industries can work better together.

Tactics for achieving that goal include a greater emphasis on career pathways and industry credentials in school along with more work-based learning and apprenticeship opportunities for students.

Wayne King, a consultant with the Kentucky Department of Education, gave a presentation about how schools can help students find employment after high school.

“I really think that’s what needs to happen here,” he said.

There are more than 6,000 job openings in the 10-county region, and that number jumps higher to more than 56,000 openings within a 50-mile radius of southcentral Kentucky.

According to a survey of 1,358 construction firms by Associated General Contractors of America, 86 percent are struggling to fill positions. Most of the firms believe the situation will become worse, and 50 percent rate local training opportunities for construction as poor or below average.

An aging workforce isn’t improving the situation, either.

The last of the baby boomer generation will turn 65 years old by 2029, according to presentation material provided by Jennifer Rogers, director of workforce development at Stewart Richey.

As many as 35 percent of the workforce for welders is projected to retire in 2026 and that number jumps to 48 percent in 2031.

The percentage of construction managers expected to retire by 2026 is 56 percent, and it jumps to 67 percent in 2031.

In an interview, Rogers said the projected shortage will affect more than just the construction industry. If the industry fails to replace workers, construction costs will go up, Rogers said.

“It’s going to affect everyone in our communities,” she said, adding that the need for solid construction and building maintenance is universal. “It’s in all parts of what we do and where we live.”

As a result, Rogers said the industry is asking “how do we help the students that are currently interested” in the field.

Cindy Whittinghill, a college and career readiness coach in Ohio and Edmonson counties, agreed that schools need to help prepare students for the workplace by teaching them soft skills.

She said she didn’t realize the demand for jobs within the construction industry. Going forward, she said the key to helping the most students is “changing the mindset that you have to have a college degree to be successful.”