Officials warn Vermont faces shortages in construction trades; apprenticeships growing but geographic and training bottlenecks remain
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Summary
Department of Labor officials told senators the state will need thousands more construction trades workers over the next decade and that apprenticeships, youth programs and licensing rules are part of the response—but recruiting from outside the state and expanding adult CTE and sponsor capacity are also necessary.
Department of Labor staff told the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs committee that Vermont will need thousands of carpenters, plumbers, electricians and related tradesworkers over the next decade and that existing training capacity and licensing rules may limit the state's ability to meet that demand.
The department presented multi‑year occupation projections, apprenticeship and program data, and regional maps showing concentrations of apprentices and sponsors, and it recommended a mix of training expansion and targeted recruitment to fill shortages needed to support housing production and other construction activity.
Key figures presented: the department cited a 10‑year projection of about 4,270 carpenters, 930 plumbers and 550 electricians/telecom line installers. Officials noted those projections are not tied to any specific housing production goal and represent long‑term labor market openings rather than a housing‑driven workforce target.
"We're never gonna be able to meet demand if we don't recruit more people to the State," Jay Ramsey, director of workforce development, told the committee. He added that Vermont cannot "train our way out of this" with the current population and that recruitment, combined with training, will be necessary.
Apprenticeship snapshot: the department said Vermont State University is the primary sponsor and provider of related instruction for electricians and plumbers and that a current cohort includes about 105 electricians and 80 plumbers completing programs this term. Using the department's 10‑year projections, staff calculated an annualized need of about 55 electricians and about 93 plumbers per year.
Youth and adult pathways: staff noted progress on youth apprenticeship since Act 55, reporting that 61% of current electrical and plumbing apprentices are ages 16 to 24 and that the average apprentice age has fallen to about 24.9. Officials said youth pathways and dual‑enrollment options give high school students an earlier entry into trades training, and that many tech centers (Central Vermont, Stafford Technical Center and others) provide plumbing and electrical programs.
Training constraints and licensing: the department emphasized structural limits in licensed trades: licensing rules and supervisor‑to‑apprentice ratios constrain how many apprentices an employer can sponsor. Officials said they are working with licensing boards on tactical changes and exploring alternative pathways that feed into licensure, including expanding related instruction delivery to adult CTE centers so instruction is not only online or concentrated at a single campus.
Geography and small business: maps showed apprenticeship and sponsor activity concentrated in Chittenden and Washington counties, with much lower activity in counties such as Essex and Grand Isle. Staff highlighted that over 86% of Vermont businesses have fewer than 20 employees, which they said increases the need for intermediary organizations (for example, Associated Builders and Contractors, Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center) to coordinate training instead of expecting each small employer to design programs individually.
Household and education context: department presenters said Vermont graduates roughly 5,800 high school students annually and estimated about 2,500 of those graduates do not leave school with an identified post‑secondary plan; officials described that group as a potential pool for workforce entry if connected through career and apprenticeship pathways.
Next steps discussed: officials recommended expanding apprenticeship sponsors and related instruction statewide, engaging intermediary organizations to work with small employers, and pairing training capacity increases with targeted recruitment. They also flagged immigration and cross‑border credential recognition with Canada as longer‑term workforce levers that require multiagency and federal engagement.
Discussion vs. decision: the committee received department briefing and data; no formal votes were taken. Staff identified follow‑up actions, including continued work with licensing boards, development of adult CTE curriculum for related instruction, and possible surveys of developers to estimate workforce needs tied to specific housing production goals.
Closing: committee members and department staff agreed that meeting construction workforce needs will require both training scale‑up and recruitment from outside the current labor pool; officials said additional data gathering and interagency coordination will inform legislative or administrative next steps.
