February 26, 2026
By: Michael J. Smith
It is challenging to supply enough skilled craftsperson’s to meet the demand on construction projects across our nation. To compound this issue, in the next seven years 40% of those currently working with the tools will be eligible to retire.
So, how do we best respond to a favorable construction outlook in a state challenged with a finite and aging workforce? What recruiting tools should we employ and how do we retain those who join us? This is a universal issue, not just something we face in the construction industry.
The Construction Connect UP program is no accident. We want a program designed here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that creates interest and opportunity for young people to determine their own fate where defined pathways to success are identified.
The Construction Connect UP Program is designed to serve as an effective transition from school to work by giving qualified high school seniors an outstanding academic education while instilling in them an understanding of the world of the work and the skills necessary for competing in the union construction industry. The Upper Peninsula Construction Council (a joint Labor/Management Council established and sponsored by affiliated signatory contractors and union building trades) in collaboration with UP Michigan Works! and Local Education Agencies (ISDs & RESAs) have developed this program that is skill-based, labor- and industry-approved and directly linked to explicit real-world workplace situations.
We are recruiting for the official start of the Construction Connect UP Program to begin in the 2025/2026 school year. To qualify you must be a high school senior 17 years of age, enrolled in a certified CTE program, have a driver’s license and reliable transportation, and pass a drug test.
Once the application window closes, applicants will participate in a resume writing and interview workshop. Each applicant will be interviewed by a panel and ranked for entry. If selected, each participant must successfully complete an OSHA-10 course and multiple work-related work keys through UP Michigan Works!. Students will be assigned to a contractor and will rotate three times over the course of the 36-week program. Each student will be paired with a general contractor, plumbing & pipefitting and HVAC contractor, and electrical contractor for 12 weeks each.
Each successful completer is eligible for an interview and the opportunity to be drafted at our formal graduation. Since the program began in January of 2023, 29 students have successfully completed the Construction Connect UP Program.
