Valley association partners with STC, Donna ISD to create construction trade school
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After U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations impacted construction sites across the Rio Grande Valley, one local construction association is looking to fill worker needs.
The South Texas Builders Association says it is taking matters into its own hands by creating a construction trade school in order to train more construction workers in the Valley.
Classes will be held at a Donna Independent School District building off Hester Avenue and will start in August.
Delayed projects also mean higher home prices for construction company owner Efrain Gomez Jr.'s customers.
"Which in our industry, time is money," Gomez said. "We have all these projects sitting idle."
Gomez says immigration enforcement at his construction sites over the past year has made it more difficult to find experienced workers.
"And these are not just positions that we can kind of just remove a person and then plug somebody else in," Gomez said.
To find the people to plug in, Gomez, along with the South Texas Builders Association, has teamed up to create a trade school focused on building future construction professionals.
"These particular trades that are in dire need in our industry at the moment," South Texas Builders Association CEO Mario Guerrero said.
The builders association is spearheading the effort and the partnership also involves South Texas College and Donna ISD.
STC will supply the instructors and Donna ISD will provide the building to house the new construction trade school.
Once students complete their schooling, they'll have a chance to work for construction companies that South Texas Builders Association partners with.
"I really believe that if you want to make good money, one, you have to be your own boss, and the only way you can be your own boss is if you know a trade," Guerrero said.
Entry level pay with a company like the one owned by Gomez can be between $14 and $15. That grows as a person gains more experience and industry-level certifications.
"We want a future of people being able to build homes that are at a reasonable price, that people can afford, and we also want to make sure that the people that need work here in the Valley can find work if they learn a trade," Guerrero said.
The builders association says while classes would be free for Donna ISD students, they're still working on how much it would cost for the general public to sign up for a class.
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