Groundbreak Carolinas

GroundBreak Carolinas

Your source for construction industry news in the Carolinas

Workforce

The Great Construction Talent Shift: Is the Data Center Boom Draining the Rest of the Industry?

by GroundBreak Carolinas Staff on

The rapid expansion of data centers is creating extraordinary opportunities for the construction industry. But as billions of dollars flow into mission-critical facilities, a new challenge is emerging: competition for the skilled workers needed to build everything else. The construction industry has always competed for talent. Skilled electricians, mechanical tradespeople, superintendents, project managers, and estimators…

Path to Pro Programs will Deliver 15 Million Introductions to High-Demand Construction Careers

by Home Depot on

The Home Depot and The Home Depot Foundation today announced a new initiative to provide 15 million introductions to the skilled construction trades by 2032. As part of this effort, The Home Depot is launching Path to Pro Skills Explorers curriculum, a free, hands-on educational experience designed to introduce middle and high school students (ages…

Construction Workforce Shortages Remain Acute Despite ‘Soft’ Market Conditions As Data Centers Strain Labor Supply, Survey Finds

by Associated General Contractors on

New AGC of America and NCCER Survey Shows Construction Firms Struggling to Find and Retain Qualified Workers amid Enhanced Immigration Enforcement, as They Boost Pay, Invest In Training Demand for workers on data centers is contributing to construction workforce shortages while immigration enforcement impacts labor availability at just under one-third of firms, even as market…

Nearly Half of Gen Z Is Considering the Skilled Trades as AI Reshapes Career Plans, New Thumbtack Report Finds

by GroundBreak Carolinas Staff on

Thumbtack, the technology company helping millions of people confidently care for their homes, today released its third annual Future of the Skilled Trades Report, revealing how AI and economic uncertainty are reshaping career decisions and fueling a new generation of tradespeople. More than 80 percent of Gen Z surveyed say it has become harder for…

Construction Has Plenty of Work. The Bigger Question is Who Will Build It?

by GroundBreak Carolinas Staff on

The construction industry’s workforce shortage is hardly new. Contractors have been talking about skilled labor, retiring workers and recruiting challenges for years. But new research from EY suggests the industry may be approaching something different — a structural capacity problem that traditional recruiting alone cannot solve. In its June 2026 report, How Structural Workforce Constraints…

BlackRock, Carhartt, Ford and Google Launch New Alliance to Expand Skilled Workforce Training

by Brian Gallagher on

America’s Biggest Companies Are Betting on the Skilled Trades. The Construction Industry Should Pay Attention. For years, the national focus centered on four-year college degrees, while careers in the skilled trades often received far less attention. Today, that narrative is shifting—and some of the world’s most recognizable companies are leading the charge. BlackRock, Carhartt, Ford…

Why Meta and Google are Betting on Skilled Trades

by Brian Gallagher, PPC Partners on

For decades, workforce development followed a fairly predictable model. Construction industry workforce programs focused on developing the skilled trades needed to build projects. Manufacturers invested in training programs designed to prepare workers to operate facilities once they opened. Utilities trained the technicians needed to maintain power systems. Each sector largely developed talent pipelines aligned with…

TradesFutures Expands AI Training and Workforce Readiness Efforts with Support from Google.org

by TradesFutures on

TradesFutures announced a new initiative to modernize skilled trades training and expand access to in-demand, high-wage careers, supported by funding from Google’s philanthropy, Google.org. As the U.S. economy modernizes, traditional trades are rapidly evolving. Building the next generationof American infrastructure—from grid modernization to advanced manufacturing—requires aworkforce of skilled tradespeople. Across the U.S., demand for skilled…

Duke Energy Joins Careers Electric Coalition to Strengthen North Carolina’s Skilled Trades Pipeline

by GroundBreak Carolinas Staff on

As North Carolina continues to attract advanced manufacturing, data centers, energy projects, and infrastructure investment, one challenge has emerged as a common denominator across nearly every major project: finding enough skilled electricians. To help address that challenge, Duke Energy has joined the newly launched Careers Electric coalition, a national workforce initiative focused on expanding pathways…

PowerChampions and American Skilled Trades Academy Partner to Strengthen Critical Power Workforce Pipeline

by GroundBreak Carolinas Staff on

As demand for data centers, advanced manufacturing facilities, healthcare campuses, and energy infrastructure continues to accelerate, one challenge remains consistent across nearly every sector: finding enough skilled trades professionals to build, maintain, and operate increasingly complex systems. To help address that challenge, Charlotte-based PowerChampions and the American Skilled Trades Academy (ASTA) have announced a strategic…