St. Louis Signing Day Matches Talent with Employers

Workforce Development
Published
Contact: Greg Zick
[email protected]
AVP, Workforce Development
(202) 266-8493

student accepts apprenticeship

Amaecion Marsh, North Technical High School graduate, at the 2022 Signing Day with Ryan Blankenship of Cheltenham Construction Services (CCS).

group of students and instructors during signing day

Industry partners join North Technical High School staff and students at their 2022 Signing Day.

Throughout Careers and Technical Education Month® in February, NAHB will be featuring inspiring workforce development stories from members, HBAs, students and technical education faculty.

National Signing Day, when student-athletes sign with college teams while the cameras click, is the culmination of years of developing athletic skills. High school athletes may get scholarships to help pay for college, but most won't earn a living with their sport. By contrast, on Signing Day at North Technical High School in St. Louis, carpentry "tech-letes" enter apprenticeships and not only earn wages and benefits but also learn a valuable trade. The students earn credits toward a debt-free college degree and credentials that will lead to a well-paying, respected, and rewarding career.

Byron Lane, a carpentry instructor at North Technical High School, described the excitement of the annual Signing Day when area home builders come to the school with hats, shirts and letters of intent to hire talented young people. He credits HBA of St. Louis & Eastern Missouri, through its member firms and NAHB Student Chapter, with constantly promoting home-building careers to students through field trips to job sites, guest speakers, and hands-on skills demonstrations done at the school.

"Workforce development is a top priority for our board of directors, our workforce development committee, and staff," said Celeste Rueter, EVP, HBA of St. Louis & Eastern Missouri. "Together, we host dynamic programs for student interaction throughout the year, including Build My Future STL, Competition in a Box, Muddy Boots Tours, and more."

Two North Tech students were hired last spring by CCS Building Group for its residential group; at least six recent graduates are apprenticed to area home builders.

Students and home builders are two parties to the apprenticeship program. The third is the training provider, Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council. At the Carpenters Training School, apprentices receive a week of classroom instruction every quarter and 6,000 hours of paid, on-the-job learning. Successful completion of the program, typically taking four years, results in journeyman-level certification recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Apprentices earn wages and receive medical and pension benefits. In addition, through articulation agreements with area community colleges, apprentices earn 45 college credits. As a result, they can complete an associate degree, at no cost to themselves, with only five more general education courses.

RJ Catizon, business representative for the Carpenters Union, says St. Louis has a strong demand for young workers and that there are currently nearly 175 apprentices in the pipeline, drawn in large part from four area technical high schools. Catizon agreed that Signing Day is a "big show" for students, their families, tech school faculty and employers. It is also the culmination of years of patient outreach to students as young as middle school by the HBA of St. Louis & Eastern Missouri and the Carpenters Union, and the start of an exciting new chapter for the apprentices.

For information on how to create an internship or serve as a mentor visit the Workforce Development Champions page on nahb.org.

Sponsored By:

Andersen Windows logo

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Construction Statistics

Jun 16, 2025

Permit Activity Declines for Fourth Consecutive Month

Housing permits continued a downhill trend for the fourth month in a row, pointing to a broader residential construction slowdown for 2025. Single-family permits were down in three out of four regions, while multifamily permits were up in three out of four regions. See the 10 largest markets for single-family and multifamily activity.

Workforce Development

Jun 13, 2025

Podcast: Addressing the Labor Shortage through Advocacy and Key Collaborations

On the latest episode of NAHB’s podcast, Housing Developments, CEO Jim Tobin and COO Paul Lopez are joined by SkillsUSA Executive Director Chelle Travis to discuss a new collaboration with NAHB’s Professional Women in Building (PWB) Council to bridge the workforce gap in construction.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Jun 13, 2025

Household Real Estate Asset Value Falls to Start the Year

The market value of household real estate assets fell from $48.1 trillion to $47.9 trillion in the first quarter of 2025, according to the most recent release of U.S. Federal Reserve Z.1 Financial Accounts. The value of household real estate assets declined for three consecutive quarters after peaking at $48.8 trillion in the second quarter of 2024 but remains 2.1% higher over the year.

Economics

Jun 12, 2025

Producer Prices Rise in May: New Construction Input Analysis

Prices for inputs to new residential construction—excluding capital investment, labor, and imports—rose 0.2% in May, following a (revised) decrease of 0.2% in April. These figures are taken from the most recent Producer Price Index (PPI) report published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Economics

Jun 11, 2025

Inflation Up Slightly in May

Despite inflationary pressure from tariffs, inflation in May rose slightly but came in softer than expected. The Consumer Price Index increased from 2.3% in April to 2.4% in May year-over-year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report.