PEARLAND, Texas — With the construction industry facing a severe worker shortage, one company has decided to take matters into its own hands. Burns & McDonnell, an engineering, construction, and architecture firm, has opened a 14,000-square-foot workforce academy in Pearland to train the next generation of skilled craft professionals.
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"It's extremely difficult to find people that want to break into this industry, actually," said Chad Whetro, craft workforce development director at Burns & McDonnell.
Instead of waiting for experienced candidates to apply, the company is providing training directly. The academy offers instruction in areas such as pipefitting, electrical work, carpentry, and boilermaking, giving students hands-on skills that are immediately transferable to real projects.
To expand its reach, Burns & McDonnell also operates a mobile training unit that can deliver classroom and workshop instruction across the region and even nationwide.
"If we can't find the workers, we can't build, and we can't grow," Whetro explained. "We continue to grow up. We continue to grow out. We need people that can do pipefitting. That can do electrical work, carpentry work. Those are the things that we need."
The need for talent extends well beyond one company. According to Associated Builders and Contractors, the U.S. construction industry must recruit about 450,000 new workers in 2025 alone to meet demand.
Burns & McDonnell’s Pearland academy is part of the company’s broader response to this challenge. A couple of hundred participants have already completed programs at the new facility this year, and company leaders say they’re just getting started.
"Our goal is to exponentially grow that over the course of each year," Whetro said. "There are over 500,000 opportunities out there as far as the craft labor shortage and we plan on filling a good portion of those."
The academy not only equips workers with technical training but also provides an entry point into a career path often overlooked by job seekers. As Houston’s demand for new housing, infrastructure, and industrial projects continues to rise, the company sees its investment in workforce development as essential for both business growth and community development.
For those interested in joining the construction workforce, ABC13 is hosting a Who's Hiring job fair on Wednesday at the Pearland Recreation Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature local experts, including representatives from Burns & McDonnell, providing job seekers with direct opportunities to connect with employers.
Originally reported by Nick Natario in ABC 13 News.
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