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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Not many kids dream of growing up to be a backhoe driver or a brick layer.
Maybe they should.
The Utah Department of Workforce Services definitely can see the advantages.
So the state agency, in concert with educators and industry employers, sponsored Utah Construction Career Days recently to expose junior high and high school students to a wide range of construction jobs.
The Department of Workforce Services says the number of construction jobs in the state will grow 3.4 percent per year between 2002 and 2012 -- creating an additional 23,000 jobs.
But the construction industry already is outpacing that prediction. So far in 2005, the number of construction jobs in Utah has increased by more than 10 percent from last year.
And some worry there are not enough young people coming into the field to fill those ranks. The industry is dominated by older workers -- the average age of a construction worker is 48 -- many of whom may retire in the next few years.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
