The Savannah River Site, run by the U.S. Department of Energy, is looking to hire — and help train — 9,000 new employees over the next five years.

The programs meet Department of Labor standards and have been around since the 1930s.

The state is awarding $25 million in grants to get more women into construction apprenticeships that can lead to high-paying jobs.

Low pay is still an obstacle to bringing people into the field, where employment is 10% lower than before the pandemic.

The program helps licensed vocational nurses who work in state prisons to become registered nurses.

Despite steady progress toward gender equality in other fields, women still make up only a small percentage of construction workers.

Apprentices earn a full salary and usually land a permanent job. Why don’t we have more of them?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics would categorize Rocio’s job most broadly as “natural resources, construction and maintenance occupations.” One in 10 workers work jobs in that category.

To recruit more young people, employers talk up technology and higher pay.

Home Depot is investing $50 million into residential construction apprenticeships, but that still won't address the labor shortage.