Aurora city councilmembers on Monday approved a resolution giving builders an option to contribute money to a construction career education program along with their permit fees.

Councilmember Francoise Bergan brought the resolution forward to support a high school construction trade program meant to help students get involved in the industry, which is struggling with workforce challenges.

Through the resolution, residential and commercial builders can opt in to a donation option when they pay their permit fees to the city, with the money going to “Careers in Construction Colorado” to support programs in the Cherry Creek School District, Aurora Public Schools and Pickens Technical College.

Students in the program participate in hands-on classes that provide job-ready skills in construction, plumbing, electrical and other building trades, according to a news release about the program.

According to council documents, Colorado had 182,000 construction employees in 2023, while the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment estimates that the industry will need 220,000 in 2027 or 38,000 more employees in the next three years.

The voluntary contribution would be $25 per residential permit and $200 for commercial building permits.

Careers in Construction Colorado is managed by the Associated General Contractors of Colorado, the Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs and other local home building associations in the state. 

They operate in 63 high schools across Colorado using the Home Builder’s Institute curriculum, which is certified by the U.S. Department of Labor as a pre-apprenticeship curriculum. They hope to expand to 100 schools by 2028.

Aurora Public Schools Superintendent Michael Giles, Jr. said during a press conference on Monday that he is excited for the program for the construction industry and for the students who take part in it.

“This partnership is in line with our vision at Aurora Public Schools to make this the destination district for students and families who want a great education combined with great opportunities for the future,” Giles said. “You need programs like this among other career and technical programs within our public schools to help prepare our students for college and career success.”

Bryan Cook, the executive director of the Construction Education Foundation, said that, in other places such as El Paso County, where there is a similar permit fund, there is an “impressive amount of contractors” that take part in it.

“Most folks in construction love what they do and know that the biggest challenge they face is workforce size,” Cook said. “Going into high schools and training their future workforce is kind of a no-brainer.”

Andrew Woods, who teaches construction at Gateway High School, said giving kids the opportunity to get jobs right out of high school is important in helping them launch their careers. 

Programs like the one at Gateway aren’t cheap to run, he said, which makes the partnership so important.

“We go through quite a bit of material learning how to make cuts, and it’s better that happens here in a school setting, where it’s safe to make mistakes than on a job site,” he said. “Finding ways to fund these programs is extremely important.”