VIDEO: Sixty Candidates at Second Forum Survey Technician Apprenticeship Session
Date Posted: February 27, 2025
Posted In: Discussion, Ideas, Workforce,
Almost tripling the attendance of a session held last week, Wednesday’s (Feb. 26th) informational session for Construction Forum’s new Certified Survey Technician Apprenticeship program saw over 60 attendees at St. Louis County Workforce Center at Northwest Crossing.
Six employers who have declared their intention to hire one of the candidates were represented at the event: ABNA Engineering; Civil Design, Inc., Clayton Engineering Company; Cochran Engineering, Engineering Design Source Inc. (EDSI); and Millstone Weber. Also present were representatives of St. Louis Community College, the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District, and governmental agencies that will be providing support for candidates.
Now that two information sessions have been completed, employers will begin interviewing candidates through March 21st. The goal is to establish an inaugural cohort of at least 15 participants. On April 7-11, those selected will go through an onboarding program at Construction Forum’s offices where they will complete OSHA 10 and other prerequisites. On April 11th, the candidate’s mentor from the employing firm will be attending a half-day of the onboarding session to begin the candidate’s transition to employment, which begins April 14th. Classes at the STLCC will not start until August to allow time for the candidates to settle in as part of the team at their new employers.
Path To a Career
Forum Deputy Executive Director/COO Diana Wilhold began her presentation Wednesday by pointing out to the candidates that “This is not just a job.”
“This program is not a destination, it is the first step of a career path that can take you as far as you are able and want to go — licensed surveyor, civil engineer, or construction project manager.”
Wilhold is the director for the new program.
The Forum was certified October 15, 2024 as facilitator for the United States Department of Labor Certified Survey Technician Apprenticeship.
Convening Partners
In 2024, the Forum convened partners from the AEC fields, higher education institutions, workforce development entities, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, civic groups, Union Apprenticeship leaders, U.S. Department of Labor, industry associations, and other interested parties. The goal was to define and create targeted career pathways in the AEC fields that do not require a two-year or four-year degree; to find instead professions that require only a high school diploma, GED, or HiSET to enter the AEC professions.
St. Louis Community College is providing instruction over the two-year program. Candidates will earn both an apprenticeship certificate and college credit.
As a 501c3 charitable organization with a mission to “Facilitate the Collaboration of All the Stakeholders in the STL Region’s Built Environment in Creating Inclusive, Robust Employment and Economic Growth”, Construction Forum has been immersed in the AEC space since 2013. After much collaboration, research, and workforce gap analysis, Construction Forum became an intermediary/sponsor with the U.S. Department of Labor to facilitate a two-year registered apprenticeship program (RAP) model for certified survey technicians. [The Registration Number is 2025-MO-130683, and the O*NET-SOC Code is 17-3031.00.]
Participating apprentices will be hired by companies that have agreed to hire one or more apprentices. Apprentices will be paid $20 per hour to start, plus benefits. In addition to working for the hiring companies during the day they will be taking evening classes in geospatial/surveying at St. Louis Community College and earning degree credit, at no cost to them.
Apprentices’ training costs are covered by Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which provides funding for workforce development in St. Louis County through the Missouri Office of Workforce Development (OWD). WIOA funds are available for eligible adults, youth, and dislocated workers. The program also will provide special trainings and assistance with needs such as transportation and childcare.