CEFGA’s Facebook Live series continues each Tuesday at Noon. Guests and topics for the next few months of 2021 include: 

• February 2nd - Construction Ready expands throughout Georgia

• February 9th - Brad Bryant, Vice President REACH Georgia on financial support for students

• February 16th - Next Steps After Graduation - Preview of Webinar for Parents and Students

• February 23rd - Tae Kang, Program Manager for Harbor Freight on opportunities for teachers

• March 2nd - Mittie Cannon, Founder of Power UP, Inc.

• March 9th - Women in Construction Week

• March 16th - Construction Ready Expands into Savannah

• March 23rd - Chris Maier, Cooper & Co. Construction 

• March 30th - Greg Walker, Architect, HauserWalker Architecture

• April 6 - Kate Cinnamo, Explore the Trades

• April 13 - Jason Strickland, Technical College System of Georgia

• April 20 - Laura Gaziano, McCarthy Builders

• April 27 - Branka Minic, Building Talent Foundation

The goal of the series is to educate students about career opportunities in the construction industry. The social media education series began in June on Instagram on the @CEFGA_jobs Instagram page and later moved to Facebook. Topics have covered career options, trade schools, industry training, and truths and misconceptions about careers in the skilled trades. All of these events are available at https://cefga.org/k12-pipeline/instagram-live-summer-series/.

Host Kayleen McCabe is a contractor and host of “Rescue Renovation” on the DIY Network. CEFGA President and CEO Scott Shelar joins her each week as they speak with students, industry leaders and employers about their experiences and insights around the skilled trades. 

Free Sessions Every Week

All sessions are free and open to anyone interested. The Facebook Live sessions begin at Noon each Tuesday on the CEFGA Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BuildingCareersChangingLivesTogether/ 

“Even during this pandemic, the construction industry is still strong. But for years, businesses have had trouble hiring trained workers, leading to a skilled labor gap in the U.S.,” says CEFGA’s Shelar. “These virtual sessions are an opportunity for young people to hear from industry leaders about how we can close the skilled labor gap by giving them the information they need to enter the skilled trade workforce.”

Job Placement

CEFGA continues to educate students on career options and is working to place students directly into jobs at leading construction companies. High school students interested in a career in construction can text “careerpath” to 31996 to receive a quick application. The CEFGA career placement team will follow up with the student for information on advanced training, apprenticeships, and even job placement. 

The organization will continue to work with teachers and guidance counselors through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. CEFGA is partially able to provide these services to Georgia’s students through the support and partnership with The Home Depot Foundation, The Marcus Foundation and The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. The three organizations came together earlier this year to seed a $5.7 million, three-year grant to address the need for skilled workers in the construction trades.