SUFFERN, NY– Planning is underway to welcome more than 600 local high school students who will meet with experts in the Building & Construction Trades to explore the jobs of tomorrow and the training that is needed to fill those high-paying positions.

The Hudson Valley Construction Career Day for high school students will again be staged at the Rockland Community College Field House in Ramapo, NY—on Fri., March 28, 2025, it was announced by Matt Pepe, executive director of the Building Contractors Association of Westchester & The Mid-Hudson Region, Inc.

Held in conjunction with organized union labor, the association is on track to have invested more than $500,000 in the day-long program over the past two decades, Mr. Pepe said. “There will be ‘Live’ demonstrations of various craft union activities, including plumbing, welding, masonry, carpentry and metal work to showcase various skill-development activities. Students are eager to have one-on-one discussions with apprenticeship instructors about job opportunities of the future as the industry transitions from ‘blue collar’ to ‘new collar’ careers.”

Following the pandemic, organizers have been told that high school administrators are increasingly encouraging their students to consider what has now become a staple in the vernacular of career counseling: “essential jobs.”

“Last year was a first,” Mr. Pepe added. “We witnessed participation of several high schools that had not been preregistered. Their kids literally just showed up in buses to learn about careers in construction. That told us there’s a surge in demand to learn about the immediate good-paying job opportunities that qualified high school graduates can walk into. We expect to reach full registration very quickly for this academic year.”

For information about apprenticeship programs and job opportunities, visit https://cicbca.org/resources. To request registration and sponsorship details, visit www.cicnys.org or contact Mr. Pepe at 914-631-6070, [email protected].