October is Careers in Construction Month

ALACHUA, Fla., Sept. 23, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In an effort to recruit the next generation of craft professionals, NCCER's Build Your Future (BYF) initiative is once again declaring October as "Careers in Construction Month." Careers in Construction Month is an opportunity for industry and education to partner locally across the nation and host construction career events and programs. With the increasing demand for skilled professionals in the construction industry, now is the time to help individuals build successful careers in construction.

BYF provides a number of online resources to make it easy for organizations to participate in Careers in Construction Month, including a Careers in Construction planning guide, craft professional trading cards and a craft professional outlook map. These items, along with a best practices guide, craft profession posters, fliers and brochures, are all available at BYF.org. In addition, organizations that register their event on BYF's website will be profiled as an official part of Careers in Construction Month for added publicity.

This year, BYF will debut a video series in October that features various lifestyles associated with construction careers. In preparation for Careers in Construction Month, a preview for the "What if?" video series is now available at youtube.com/user/BYFCampaign. The videos are designed to establish an emotional connection with the industry and highlight how a career in construction offers more than just a paycheck.

BYF also offers resources to help transitioning military members find careers in construction that fit their skills sets. The "Military to Construction: A Strong Fit" video features testimonials from former military members who have found success as construction professionals. Veterans can also download BYF's Military Crosswalk, which is used to identify how Military Occupational Skill (MOS) codes align with NCCER's industry-recognized, portable credentials.

One of the best ways to spread awareness about career opportunities in the construction industry is through individuals speaking out. Educators, employers and industry associations are encouraged to write to their legislators and governors to support official state proclamations recognizing October as Careers in Construction Month. A sample proclamation and guidelines that explain the process to follow in each state are available on the BYF website.

For more information about Careers in Construction Month or Build Your Future, visit byf.org. Visit facebook.com/BYFcampaign and follow twitter.com/BuildYourFuture for the latest news and updates on activities and events.

About NCCER — NCCER is a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) education foundation created by the construction industry to develop standardized curriculum with portable credentials and to help address the skilled construction workforce shortage. NCCER is recognized by the industry as the training, assessment, certification and career development standard for the construction and maintenance craft professional. For more information, visit www.nccer.org or contact NCCER customer service at 888.622.3720.

About Build Your Future – Build Your Future (BYF) is NCCER's national image enhancement and recruitment initiative for the construction industry. Its mission is to recruit the next generation of craft professionals by making career and technical education a priority in secondary schools, shifting negative public perception about careers in the construction industry and providing a path from ambition, to training, to job placement as a craft professional. BYF provides a number of resources to assist industry, education and military organizations in achieving these goals. For more information, visit www.byf.org.