Careers in construction

Telling the story of real construction, one person, company, and project at a time. - Video: Careers in Construction

ACE Mentor Program, Western PA  allows high school students in the Pittsburgh area to benefit from a nationwide program designed to introduce them to the wide range of career opportunities open to young people in architecture, construction, engineering, and related areas of the building design and construction industry.

Opened in 2020, Junior Achievement's Biztown® is an experiential learning laboratory for elementary and middle school students that combines nine hours of curriculum delivered in 12 lessons prior to a 4 - 1/2 hour visit to JA BizTown®. The program helps students connect what they learned in school with the realities of the business world and everyday life.  Mascaro is proud to be a main sponsor of the "construction storefront."

SIMCoach Games has developed several free game apps to provide you with a better understanding of what is required as a construction worker.  Type "simcoach games" in your apps search feature, or visit the SIMcoach website, to see the games available.

Another place to see the games is the Future Road Builders Skills Arcade.  These free game allows you to interact inmany construction different construction activities, earn badeges, and learn about the skills needed to be a construction professional.

For example, Ground Up Construction introduces you to commercial building construction.  Follow the plans to build everything from convenience stores to skyscrapers.  

The PDF document below provides a general overview of the key salaried positions that are generally available within a construction company and a listing of the various trades. 

Key Positions in Construction

Career and technology centers (CTC) are educational facilities (typically associated with school districts) that specialize in technical programs and often provides hands-on learning opportunities.  Below are links to the CTCs in the Southwestern Pennsylvania region.

Allegheny County

• A W Beattie Career Center
• Forbes Road CTC
• McKeesport Area Tech Ctr
• Parkway West CTC
• Steel Center for Career and Technical Ed

Armstrong County

• Lenape Technical School

Beaver County

• Beaver County CTC

Butler County

• Butler County AVTS

Fayette County

• Connellsville Area Career & Technical Center
• Fayette County Career & Technical Institute 

Greene County

• Greene County CTC

Indiana County

• Indiana County Technology Center

Lawrence County

• Lawrence County CTC

Washington County

• Mon Valley CTC
• Western Area CTC

Westmoreland County

• Central Westmoreland CTC
• Eastern Westmoreland CTC
• Northern Westmoreland CTC

CCBC’s High School Academies are providing Western Pennsylvania’s young people with high-impact educational experiences to prepare them for careers that address priority workforce needs of the region.  Check out what the Mascaro Construction Academy has to offer! 

At the Energy Innovation Center we are offering new and innovative training programs through our industry and community partners. We are developing a state of the art campus for workforce development training and work collaboratively with industry to develop relevant training. The programs have been created in conjunction with others in the workforce development area to develop “best-in-class” programs that may be accepted industry wide. Our goal is twofold; to prepare program participants to obtain jobs with sustainable compensation and avenues for career path growth as well as to offer recurrent training to assist participants with the completion of employer required trainings.

• The Community College of Allegheny County prepares individuals to succeed in a complex global society by providing affordable access to high quality career and transfer education delivered in a diverse, caring, and innovative learning environment. 
• Community College of Beaver County's mission is to transform lives through personalized education, dynamic partnerships and high impact practices.

For those wanting to pursue a four-year degree, below is a listing of local colleges and universities.  The link will take you to the institution's engineering page, where you can explore all that they have to offer. 

• Carnegie Mellon University, College of Engineering
• Kent State University, Construction Management
• The Pennsylvania State University – College of Engineering
• Pennsylvania College of Technology, Construction and Design Technologies
• University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering

Builders Guild of Western Pennsylvania - Our mission is to promote quality construction, provide a forum for labor and management to work together on issues of common concern, and to create career opportunities for men and women interested in working in the demanding and challenging construction industry. The Builders Guild is a major voice for the commercial construction industry throughout Western Pennsylvania and beyond.

Visit our site to learn more about the Introduction to the Trades program

Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania - Our vision is to be the premier trade association for union* affiliated contractors in the heavy, highway, railroad and utility construction industry in western Pennsylvania.  (*Carpenters, Cement Masons, Laborers, Operating Engineers, Pile Drivers, and Teamsters)

The Master Builders' Association of Western Pennsylvania is the voice for the construction industry in Western Pennsylvania, and we provide valuable member services, promote best practices, and help to grow a highly skilled workforce. 

National Center for Construction Education & Research - Our vision is to be universally recognized by industry and government as the training, assessment, certification and career development standard for construction and maintenance craft professionals.

The O*NET Program is the nation's primary source of occupational information. Valid data are essential to understanding the rapidly changing nature of work and how it impacts the workforce and U.S. economy. From this information, applications are developed to facilitate the development and maintenance of a skilled workforce.

Central to the project is the O*NET database, containing hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors on almost 1,000 occupations covering the entire U.S. economy. The database, which is available to the public at no cost, is continually updated from input by a broad range of workers in each occupation.

The Consortium is a nonprofit organization working with more than 40 school districts across western Pennsylvania on initiatives strategically designed to strengthen and broaden school leadership, engage community and empower students.

Our initiatives build cross-sector partnerships that bring resources, improvements and support to public schools.

We relentlessly advocate for excellence and equity in public education for all students.