Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity (FAHFH) is stepping in to address a key issue in construction trades: an aging workforce without suitable candidates who can step in to keep up with construction demand once workers retire. 

To do so, the organization is hosting its second annual “Trade Days of Summer: Construction Camp,” in an effort to teach key skills to area youth interested in construction. The five-day series of construction instruction will take place at the Sweet Valley Ranch campus at 2990 Sunnyside School Road during the last week of July. 

The program is open to students ranging from grade 10 to recent high school graduates aged 16-19 years old. 

“The average age of somebody in the trades right now is greater than 55, which means that our workers in the trades are approaching retirement ages,” said Brandon Price, the CEO of FAHFH. “They’re not going to be able to continue in this industry for much longer. That is one of the reasons why the cost of housing and repair is so astronomical right now is because of the lack of availability of people in the trades. There just aren’t enough people to do the work.”

The Construction Camp program, Price said, will plant a seed for the future in ambitious students who want to learn a secure and stable career. The 35 students admitted into the program will learn a new key skill about construction trade each day. The instructors are certified local contractors and construction workers who will volunteer their time to help the local youth. 

“We’re giving our students firsthand exposure, hands-on experience and the opportunity to learn about the trades, to gain interest and treat construction trades as a primary option for their career path selection,” Price said. “It is not just a backup plan in case college or the military don’t work out. This is a primary opportunity. This is a primary choice, and you can make a really good living doing this.”

The program wouldn’t just help introduce youth to a potential career, Price said. It could also help them and their family save money. 

“They can learn how to take care of the home that they're in,” Price noted. “They learn how to address some of the issues that are going on in their existing home. Then they’re able to stay in their homes longer, and they’re able to help mom and dad save the money on the cost of repair workers coming to their home to address some of these issues.” 

Being able to identify and address issues in the home can also help in the long run to preserve good housing conditions, Price added.

“Untreated or unaddressed routine maintenance issues turn into bigger issues down the road, and then the cost just continues to multiply the longer these issues are unaddressed,” Price said.

On day one, students at the camp can learn how to repair a hole in the wall.

“Which includes hanging drywall mud and taping that drywall,” Price added. “We’re teaching them on day two how to address plumbing issues, so we teach them how to install a toilet from the hole in the floor and how to replace the parts in the back of the toilet. We also teach them how to repair and replace the plumbing underneath the bathroom sink, the kitchen sink and the faucets.” 

On day three, students learn how to replace an electrical receptacle, a light switch and how to repair a ceiling fan. 

“Then on day four, we teach them how to do framing, which is framing up a wall and getting more hands-on with how to build a structure, and how to create stability with that,” Price added. 

Interest in the program has only grown. The program drew in several interested workers after a flyer posted about the camp went viral on social media. 

“It was shared 827 times in three days. We had to take it down because we were getting phone calls from multiple states; down in Alabama, up to Virginia, over in Tennessee. Families were calling us, asking us if they could bring their students and participate in the camp,” Price said. 

That translated into 25 students attending the program. This year 35 students were accepted. 

“But we’ve had to turn away hundreds of kids. We can only take so many because of the limited amount of resources that we have, which is, of course, where volunteers come into play,” Price said. “They are learning from licensed electricians. They’re learning from licensed plumbers. These electricians and plumbers and trades people have volunteered their day to spend with us, which for them is sacrificing thousands of dollars to volunteer to teach our students.”

While applications for students have closed, sponsorship opportunities are still available to local businesses who would like to support the nonprofit’s mission. 

Anyone interested in sponsoring this year's Construction Camp can reach out via email at: marketing@fayettevil lenchabitat.org or call 910-593-1971 to learn more.