Today’s construction industry is safe and offers your student a career—not just a job.

Construction is a well respected and stable career path.

CORE PLUS Construction provides students more options after high school graduation. The industry is safer than ever before, and the opportunities for career advancement are nearly limitless. There are no dead ends in the construction industry, additional training is always available, and there are a lot of career choices.

The massive demand for construction professionals, coupled with the short supply of them, drives construction companies to offer competitive salaries and a healthy benefits package to attract new employees. Good wages are only part of the financial benefits of working in the construction industry. Because many construction careers do not require a bachelor’s degree, craft professionals do not have to worry about accumulating thousands of dollars in college debt.

The construction industry offers a deep and wide selection of career choices:

Skilled trades
Management
Design & Engineering
Administration & Support

Learn more details about career opportunities for your student in the ‘Resources’ section.

Students get hands-on learning of real-world skills and the opportunity to explore rewarding careers.

CORE PLUS Construction students learn by doing and will:

Work as a team member to complete hands-on skill projects. Plan, fabricate, and construct scaled projects using industry developed prints and specifications with the same equipment and techniques used in industry.
Study a range of concepts that include: materials science, construction math, estimation, proposal writing, project management, lean construction principles, hand and power tool usage, print reading, basic building skills and knowledge and career readiness tools.
Students will prepare for apprenticeships, immediate construction employment, advanced certifications, and college.

Depending on their district, students can earn high school credits in Math, Science, and English Language Arts in addition to Career and Technical Education (CTE) credits.

Students also receive a CORE PLUS Construction Certificate which is recognized by the construction and building trades industry across the State of Washington

There are schools and skill centers across the state that are offering the Core PLUS program. See what programs are in your area.

Students have more options after high school.

After completing the CORE PLUS Construction program, students have many different paths.

Students can directly:

Enter the job market
Seek an apprenticeship
Pursue military options
Gain additional training in trade programs
Enter college and university in fields such as construction management, occupational health and safety, and sustainable building technologies

CORE PLUS Construction is supported by the industry.

Developed by the Associated General Contractors Education Foundation and its construction industry partners in Washington state, CORE PLUS Construction has the goal of introducing students to careers in the construction industry through hands-on learning.

The curriculum was approved by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in March 2020. This milestone effort was accomplished through multiple partners that included universities, industry experts, job-site visits from OSPI academic leaders, and curriculum input from high school educators.

For more information and the mission of Core PLUS Construction, visit the ‘About’ section.

The construction industry is safer than ever before.

Construction is sometimes perceived as having dangerous, unsafe working conditions. While construction comes with more natural risk than sitting at a desk in a cubicle every day, the truth is that the industry has made great strides in improving safety on the job site.

One of these improvements is in the area of personal protective equipment (PPE). Eye, ear, hand, and foot protection, plus the iconic hard hat, are requisites on the job. More specialized PPE such as harnesses are required for anyone doing elevated work. PPE and tools specifically shaped for both men and women are more abundant. Focusing on the protective equipment and utilizing them correctly is a simple but very effective method for ensuring the safety of all professionals.

Improving technology is also playing a hand in improving construction safety. Drones and virtual or augmented reality systems help construction teams detect potential hazards early and examine them without threat. The goal of every job site is for everyone to go home safe and healthy at the end of the day.

Construction careers rank amongst the highest in happiness and job satisfaction.

Thanks to perceptions of the industry, construction has long been overlooked as a viable or desirable career path. The reality is that working in construction is an exciting and rewarding career and one that ranks among the highest in happiness and job satisfaction.

The construction industry has a hand in most of the economy. The roads, the offices, the factories, the power plants, the homes – construction is responsible. Life-saving hospitals and life-changing schools get built with carpenters and ironworkers, electricians and project managers, to name a few. Green energy solutions like wind turbines and solar facilities are built with heavy equipment operators, engineers, and solar photovoltaic installers.

Every construction project is meaningful to the worker. Whether it is a church, a sports stadium, a bridge, an apartment building, construction benefits society.

For families seeking to help their students explore all the options for their futures, the construction industry deserves significant consideration and the CORE PLUS Construction program is the path.

For Families