Jumpstart Your Construction Career in Chattanooga

©Journal Communications/Nathan Lambrecht

Traditional four-year college is not for all high school graduates. And that’s where the Construction Career Center in Chattanooga and the Southeast Lineman Training Center in Trenton, Georgia, offer exciting alternatives. The Construction Career Center aims to train the next generation of skilled construction workers, while the Southeast Lineman Training Center attracts people from the region and beyond to pursue the trade.

The Construction Career Center obtains much of its talent from Brainerd High School, East Ridge High School, Tyner Academy and The Howard School. Interested 11th and 12th graders spend part of the day at their high school and the other part at the center.

“There is a dire workforce crisis in our industry, and the Construction Career Center bloomed out of that need,” says Leslie Gower, CEO of Associated General Contractors East Tennessee, which partners with the program. “Students get 1,500 hours of training and bus transportation to and from the center, and our goal is 100% job placement for every student who graduates from this program.”

One student who attended the Construction Career Center is Henry Santos, who graduated from The Howard School in May 2023. Today, Santos works for Callahan Mechanical in Chattanooga as an HVAC installer, earning $18 per hour.

“I like to build things and was offered the opportunity to come to the Construction Career Center,” Santos says. “I got the chance to go to a campus with all types of construction equipment and projects as part of my school day.”

At the center, Santos learned about carpentry, electrical, plumbing, masonry and other trades, but ultimately, he decided to pursue a job in HVAC.

“Things are amazing,” he says. “I really enjoy what I am doing and want to continue my education so that I can advance further.”

Southeast Lineman Training Center: Powering Up Careers

The Southeast Lineman Training Center provides a 15-week program for electrical lineworkers and a seven-week program for telecommunications lineworkers. Officials say the average starting salary in the field is around $60,000.

Through the training center, an American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) New Heights Scholarship program introduces students from underrepresented communities to future careers in electrical and communications linework industries.

Several organizations are backing the New Heights Scholarship program, including Chattanooga 2.0, which works to strengthen workforce opportunities in Chattanooga and Hamilton County.

“This is an amazing opportunity for students,” says Andrew Hudson, Chattanooga 2.0 director of viable pathways to prosperity. “Program graduates can get good local jobs with EPB or the Tennessee Valley Authority as well as in energy sectors throughout the entire United States.”