Building the Next Generation: Construction Careers for Students and Young Adults in Southwest Florida

As Southwest Florida continues to grow, one of the most important things we can build is the next generation of people who will build it.

Construction is already a major part of our regional economy. In the Cape Coral–Fort Myers metropolitan area, construction and extraction occupations represent 9% of all local employment, compared with 4.1% nationally. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counted approximately 27,370 construction and extraction jobs in the local metro area in May 2025.

And the need for talent is expected to continue. FloridaCommerce projections included in the Southwest Florida Educational and Workforce Outcomes Report estimate that the region’s construction industry will grow from about 74,293 jobs in 2024 to 82,513 by 2032, an average increase of approximately 1,028 jobs per year.

For students, young adults, parents, educators, and employers, those numbers should get our attention.

But there is something even more important to understand:

Construction today is much bigger than the traditional image many young people have in their minds.

There Is More Than One Path Into Construction

For many years, young people were often presented with one primary definition of success:

Graduate from high school. Go to college. Earn a four-year degree. Find a job.

A four-year degree is absolutely the right choice for many students.

But it is not the only way to build a successful career.

Construction has multiple entry points.

A student may begin at a technical college.

Another may enter a registered apprenticeship and earn while learning.

Someone else may pursue a construction management degree.

A student could begin with a certification, learn a trade, gain field experience, and later move into supervision or project management.

There is no single correct path.

What matters is helping young people understand what the paths are before they have to choose one.

Students Can Begin Building Skills Before Graduation

One of the most important resources available locally is career and technical education.

Fort Myers Technical College offers high school dual-enrollment opportunities for eligible students. Through technical dual enrollment, students can receive workforce training and work toward industry certifications while also earning credit toward their high school diploma. Eligible programs include Carpentry, Electricity, HVAC/Refrigeration, Plumbing, Welding Technology, Mechatronics, Electronic Technology, Diesel Maintenance, and other technical careers.

That is an important option for families to understand.

A student does not necessarily have to wait until after high school to begin figuring out whether a skilled trade is a good fit.

Exposure can begin earlier.

And sometimes that early exposure changes everything.

Hands-On Construction Education in Cape Coral

Cape Coral Technical College now offers a Building Construction Technologies program that provides broad exposure to both residential and commercial construction.

The approximately 10-month, 1,050-hour program includes hands-on experience in carpentry, masonry, electrical systems, plumbing, HVAC, framing, roofing, concrete work, blueprint reading, drywall, window installation, OSHA safety, forklift operation, and construction management foundations.

That broad approach can be especially valuable for someone who knows they are interested in construction but has not yet decided exactly where they fit.

A student may discover that they love electrical work.

Another might become interested in estimating or reading plans.

Someone else may realize that field supervision or construction management is where they eventually want to go.

That is why exposure matters.

Apprenticeships Offer Another Route: Earn While You Learn

College and technical school are not the only options.

Southwest Florida also has registered apprenticeship opportunities.

Donna J. Beasley Tri-County Apprenticeship Academy in Fort Myers provides registered apprenticeship programs in electrical, heating and air conditioning, pipe fitting, and plumbing across Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Glades, and Hendry counties.

Their model combines paid, full-time on-the-job training with classroom instruction.

Participating contractors sponsor the training, allowing apprentices to earn income while developing trade skills. The academy describes its registered apprenticeship as a four-year pathway and requires apprentices to be employed by a participating contractor.

For some students, that can be a completely different way of thinking about education.

Instead of choosing between school or work, apprenticeship combines both.

Construction Is Also Becoming a Technology Career

This is one of the messages I believe younger generations especially need to hear.

Construction is changing.

Yes, we still need carpenters, electricians, plumbers, welders, glaziers, installers, HVAC technicians, equipment operators, and other skilled tradespeople.

But today's construction industry also includes people working with:

BIM and Virtual Design and ConstructionDrones and reality capture3D modelingEstimating softwareDigital project-management systemsGPS-guided equipmentAutomation and roboticsPrefabricationData and construction technology

A young person who loves technology may have a place in construction.

A student who enjoys gaming and controllers may discover an interest in advanced equipment operation.

Someone who likes design and computers may gravitate toward BIM, drafting, architecture, or virtual construction.

A student who likes puzzles and numbers may eventually become an estimator.

Someone who naturally organizes people and information may become a project coordinator or project manager.

We have to stop presenting construction as though it is one type of job for one type of person.

It is an industry.

And industries need many different kinds of talent.

Construction Careers Can Grow

Another thing parents and students should understand is that someone's first construction position does not determine where they will finish.

A person may begin as a helper and become a skilled craft professional.

A craft professional may become a lead.

A lead may become a superintendent.

Someone in an administrative role may learn drawings, scheduling, contracts, and project coordination and move into project management.

Someone with field experience may learn estimating.

A technician may become an inspector.

And someone who learns the business may eventually become an entrepreneur.

In the Cape Coral–Fort Myers metro area, construction and extraction occupations averaged approximately $53,820 per year in May 2025. First-line supervisors of construction trades averaged about $77,220 annually. These are mean wages, not guaranteed starting salaries, but they demonstrate that advancement within construction can lead to meaningful earning potential.

Construction can be a career ladder.

The important part is making sure people can see the next rung.

What I Have Learned Through Office Pro Installation

At Office Pro Installation, I see every day how many different skills and people it takes to complete a project.

Our work in commercial interiors, architectural walls and glass, office furniture, glazing, specialty installations, and other projects requires people who can work with their hands—but it also requires people who can read drawings, coordinate schedules, communicate with clients, manage teams, solve problems, estimate work, understand technology, and adapt when conditions change.

Through my experience as a project manager and now CEO, I have learned that technical knowledge is only one part of succeeding in construction.

Communication matters.

Reliability matters.

Leadership matters.

Problem-solving matters.

Understanding the entire project—not just your individual task—matters.

These are the lessons I want students to hear from people actively working in the industry.

Education and Industry Need Each Other

That is also why opportunities like industry panels, mentorship, internships, jobsite exposure, and partnerships with schools are so valuable.

When Nathaly Monfiston and I participated in a panel at Florida Gulf Coast University, the goal was bigger than simply talking about our careers.

It was about helping students connect what they are learning in the classroom with what happens once a real project begins.

FGCU's construction education also provides options for working professionals. Its Essentials of Construction Blueprint Reading course teaches participants how to understand construction plans and specifications, interpret drawings, and conduct basic quantity surveying and estimating takeoffs.

Its Introduction to Construction Management Certificate covers areas including project delivery systems, contract administration, planning and controls, safety, quality, and risk.

Programs like these show that education does not have to stop when someone enters the workforce.

People can continue building skills throughout their careers.

Parents Have a Role Too

Parents can have enormous influence over how a young person thinks about careers.

That is why this conversation is not only for students.

Parents should ask questions too.

What does this career pay?

What training does it require?

Does the student learn better in a classroom or by doing?

Can they begin working sooner?

Is there an apprenticeship?

Are industry certifications available?

Can this position lead somewhere else later?

Could this eventually lead to management or business ownership?

The goal is not to convince every student to enter construction.

It is to make sure construction is included in the conversation.

Young people deserve to understand all of their options before deciding what success should look like for them.

We Especially Need Young Women to See These Careers

At SWFL Women in Construction, this part of the conversation is especially important to us.

A young woman may never consider construction because nobody has ever shown her what is possible inside the industry.

She may not realize she could become an electrician.

Or an estimator.

Or a project manager.

Or a BIM specialist.

Or an engineer.

Or a superintendent.

Or a business owner.

Representation matters, but so does information.

You cannot pursue a career you do not know exists.

That is one reason we want to continue bringing awareness to education, apprenticeships, certifications, careers, mentors, and employers throughout Southwest Florida.

Employers Can Help Build the Next Generation

Schools cannot do this alone.

Employers have an important role.

Construction companies can:

Offer internships.

Support apprenticeships.

Invite students to jobsites when appropriate.

Participate in school career days and industry panels.

Mentor young people.

Sponsor employee education.

Show students what different positions inside a construction company actually do.

Give young employees a chance to learn more than one skill.

The next estimator, superintendent, project manager, craft professional, or construction business owner may already be sitting in a classroom somewhere in Southwest Florida.

They simply need a chance to see the industry.

Building the Future of Southwest Florida

Southwest Florida is continuing to grow.

Our workforce has to grow with it.

At SWFL Women in Construction, we want to help connect the pieces:

Students with careers.Parents with information.Workers with education.Schools with employers.Women with opportunities.Businesses with emerging talent.

This is bigger than filling open positions.

It is about helping people build sustainable careers and helping our region develop the skilled workforce it will need for years to come.

If you are a student, explore.

If you are a parent, ask questions.

If you are an educator, invite industry into the classroom.

If you are an employer, open a door.

And if you believe in this mission, join SWFL Women in Construction, attend one of our events, partner with us, or help us share these resources with someone who needs them.

The future of Southwest Florida is under construction—and the next generation deserves to know there is a place for them in it.

Visit SWFLWomenInConstruction.com to learn more about our community, upcoming events, membership, education resources, and the complete Building SWFL series.