Happy 2nd Birthday, Build California
It’s hard to believe another year has passed… the Build California Initiative is now two years old!
Two years of showing just how much this industry matters. Two years of amplifying the voices of our construction family. Two years of growing our network across the state. Two years of inspiring, engaging and activating the next generation of California’s construction workforce together.
We said we were building something big, and that’s just what we’ve done.
Together, we’re leading the way for construction workforce development in the Golden State, connecting people with the tools and training they need to be successful in our industry and become part of the construction family. To date, Build California has reached over 7 million people with the rallying call – you, too, can Build A Legacy™ in today’s construction industry.
There’s so much to celebrate. Here’s a look at some of our biggest wins in the past two years!
Job Connections
We pride ourselves on our ability to not only inspire the next generation, but also in giving them tangible leads on where to go next. That’s where our job board comes in!
We’ve seen promising increases in traffic to our training page traffic. Great! But what does all that mean? It means that people are moving just awareness to real interest and demand to join our industry. We’re deeply invested in making sure that the website’s training and job databases are up-to-date and representative of the opportunities that exist in our industry today.
Coalition Building
Teamwork makes the dream work they say, and we know this too well! Build California is nothing without its partners, and our coalition is key to our success.
We just keep getting stronger! Our mission is now being carried out by over 30 of our industry’s best and brightest who embody the greatness of California construction.
One of the best parts? Our team represents all facets of the industry, bringing the perspective and experience we need to make a real impact on our future generation. From AGC members, public agencies, private owners, associations, unions, apprenticeship programs, non-profits, and more, we’re doing the heavy lifting to set the industry up for future success.
Ambassador Program
We’re also powered by industry partners who volunteer their time as Build California ambassadors!
Working alongside the Build California team, this cohort spreads the word about Build California and the opportunities available within the industry.
Like our coalition, the Build California Ambassador program is comprised of a diverse range of industry professionals from ages 20 to 70. Through honest conversations about our industry and their lived experiences, they share their passion with the next generation.
Build California ambassadors engage in robust training to learn all about how to represent the initiative and champion our mission of inspiring, engaging, and activating the next generation of California’s construction workforce.
We’re proud to say that the Build California Ambassador program is now 53 passionate industry professionals strong. It’s a testament to the coalition’s success to see the program continue to grow.
Want to get involved with the Ambassador program? Email Abigail Palomares at palomaresA@agc-ca.org to find out more!
Partner Takeovers
With our partner takeovers on Instagram Stories, people don’t just have to wonder what a day in the life of a construction worker looks like — they get to follow along!
For March’s social takeover, our focus was on operating engineers. Our partner Independent Construction Company shared photos and videos of various job sites and operators to be promoted as Instagram Stories throughout the day. This was a great opportunity to provide California’s youngsters a glimpse into the day-to-day of what it takes to be an operator. Within 24 hours, we gained 30+ followers, increased our engagement by 95%, and reached +30% more people than usual.
We’ve continued to build on this success each month. In fact, one of our Day in the Life takeovers in August — by Thereza from Southwest Carpenters — garnered 10,550 impressions, reaching an average of 471 users, and bringing in 57 new followers. All in ONE day! Check out Thereza’s takeover here to see how we do it.
We’re thrilled with how well our takeovers have been received, and we can’t wait to see what’s next!
#IYouWe Series
#IYouWe is Build California’s commitment to leave the construction industry a little better than we found it. To appreciate and uplift the diverse voices in our industry. To provide more educational opportunities. To do the work together.
We’re bringing these tough conversations to light like never before in our industry. Our #IYouWe Instagram Live series brings in speakers with lived experience to discuss topics like “Allyship in Construction,” “Black Leaders in Construction Speak,” and more.
We kicked off 2021, with an expansive partnership with BuildOUT California to provide access to and representation of the LGBTQ+ construction community. On January 21, we sat down with Dani and Nick Colina from Anco Iron and Construction to get real about their journeys. We talked about how far the industry has come and the work ahead of us. Build California is committed to having more conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
May brought us Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Throughout the month, we had the chance to connect with four AAPI members to discuss Asian representation (or lack thereof), their favorite things about their cultures, discrimination, AAPI hate crimes, and more.
We are a big, beautiful construction family filled with passionate, hard-working, goal-oriented people. But we know there is always room for more diversity, more open-mindedness, more perspectives, and more amplifying of marginalized voices in every industry – including construction.
This is one way for us to do our part.
Build California e-cademy
Perhaps our biggest and most exciting addition this year was the launch of the Build California e-cademy! We’re making the construction learning accessible to all, with courses and certificate offerings for high schoolers.
All classes are a mixture of on-demand and live courses, completed on your own time, and completely FREE. Students can take as many as they’d like to explore the ins and outs of construction, giving them a leg up even before they graduate. In fact, businesses and organizations across the state will recognize Build California’s Construction Ready Certificate, which shows employers and apprenticeship programs that you have a vested interest and experience in construction.
The e-cademy launched in August, and we’re just getting started with what we can do in the virtual learning space.
Above all, our greatest accomplishments always stem back to YOU — our followers, our partners, our ambassadors, our supporters. In just two years we’ve made great progress for the industry we know and love. Thank you, because I, YOU, we Build California.