ConstructReach, a construction industry workforce development initiative and consultancy, will host an “I built this!” (IBT) event on October 17-18 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the future home of the Inner-City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA), located at 2045 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. Each day, over 100 high school students aged 16-18 years from neighboring school districts are invited to learn more about the construction industry and participate in hands-on activities related to carpentry, fixturing, design and technology, mechanical, and plumbing. Students will also be able to connect with general contractors and other industry professionals to discuss internships, career opportunities, and scholarships.

Paul Robinson, CEO and Founder of ConstructReach, conceptualized the “I built this!” initiative to address the workforce shortage by promoting collaboration between the education and construction sectors. IBT events introduce the industry and career opportunities to the next generation, in turn building a diverse and talented pipeline to keep the industry moving forward. Now in its fifth year, ConstructReach’s IBT initiative has been hosted in cities across the country, including Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Detroit. Through these innovative events and a variety of services offered to its members, ConstructReach aims to transform the construction industry within the next decade.

Industry partners confirmed for the event include Curtom Dunsmuir, International Code Council, Lankford Construction, Genesis Floor Covering, Infinity Drywall Contracting Inc., High Power Electric Inc., Southwest Mountain States Regional Council of Carpenters, South Bay Workforce Investment Board, and Target Corporation. School district partners include Irvine Unified School District, Los Angeles Unified School District, and Culver City Unified School District. ConstructReach has partnered with ICYOLA to host the event at their future headquarters. ICYOLA will be hosting an open-house event in partnership with ConstructReach and Curtom Dunsmuir the day before IBT LA, on Monday, October 16.

“Our mission at ConstructReach is to increase the visibility of the construction industry by educating students about career opportunities, connecting general contractors to interns and innovative internship curriculum, and creating content, experiences, and a ConstructReach Community to expose diverse populations to construction careers,” said Paul Robinson. “Over half of the construction workforce is over the age of 46 and will be retiring. ‘I built this!’ introduces diverse students to construction opportunities to work toward changing those statistics.”

For more information or to interview Paul Robinson, please contact Emma Sammuli at emma.sammuli@1905newmedia.com.

Founded in May 2018, ConstructReach is a construction industry workforce development initiative and consultancy that seeks to increase the visibility of the construction industry by educating students about career opportunities within construction, connecting general contractors to interns, employees, and internship curriculum, and creating content, experiences, and a ConstructReach Community to expose a diverse population to sustainable construction careers. Over half of the skilled construction labor force is nearing retirement age and fewer students, especially from diverse backgrounds, are pursuing a construction career. Now in its fifth year, ConstructReach works with students, educators, high school counselors, large brands, and general contractors throughout the country to ensure they have the information and connections they need to facilitate the long-term longevity of a new, more diverse construction industry. ConstructReach started efforts with more than 100 general contractors throughout the United States but is currently adding additional general contractors, and expanding brands to its network. For more, please visit constructreach.com.