The U.S. construction industry is facing continued demand for skilled craft professionals, prompting Barton Malow to join a national coalition focused on expanding training, apprenticeships and career pathways.
Barton Malow joined the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades on September 30 alongside 13 other companies spanning technology, telecommunications, manufacturing and workforce services. The construction company is currently the only contractor among the Alliance’s members, according to the organization.
The membership announcement coincides with the release of a national report examining 124 skilled trades occupations across all 50 states. The report projects that employers will need to fill approximately 1.7 million skilled trades openings each year through 2035 as industries expand and workers leave the workforce.
Training capacity is not keeping pace with that demand. The report indicates that training programs currently produce about 55 workers for every 100 skilled trades positions required.
The research also identifies Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas as states where skilled trades demand is particularly high.
For Barton Malow, the workforce issue has direct implications for construction delivery. The company uses self-perform capabilities across its operations and relies on skilled craft professionals to execute project work.
The Alliance has also introduced America's Skilled Trades Dashboard, a searchable resource covering 124 occupations in all 50 states. The platform includes more than 5,000 state- and trade-specific profiles intended to help employers, educators and workforce organizations identify areas where additional training capacity may be needed.
The report highlights another challenge within the existing training system: only about half of participants who enroll in skilled trades programs complete them. High-quality apprenticeship programs, however, report completion rates exceeding 90%.
The Alliance was established in July 2026 by BlackRock, Carhartt, Ford Motor Company and Google. Its membership now includes companies from construction, technology, telecommunications, manufacturing, workforce solutions and tool production.
Barton Malow's participation places a construction contractor within a cross-industry effort focused on workforce development. For contractors, access to qualified craft labor remains closely connected to project staffing, safety and delivery requirements.
The Alliance's workforce data and apprenticeship focus provide additional resources for companies and training organizations seeking to expand skilled trades pipelines as demand develops across U.S. markets.
Source: Barton Malow.
