A new blueprint for Americas construction trades. The HELP WANTED signs are up, both figuratively and literally, in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. Theres a lot of reconstruction to be done and not enough trained workers to do it. Our Cover Story is reported by Mark Strassmann Its been a month since Hurricane Harvey devastated the city of Houston and Southeast Texas. Damage estimates go up to 1. Transdermal Vitamin B12 Patch more. The cleanup has begun, but a major shortage is looming for the rebuilding effort. Its not a lack of will, or money its a lack of skilled labor a national shortage thats reaching a crisis stage. Nearly 4. Americas do it yourself work ethic became the stuff of primetime television, when This Old House took to the airways on PBS. Since 1. 97. 9, master carpenter Norm Abram, the shows unlikely star, has taught two generations of viewers how to build things. I didnt have the best clothes my backpocket had holes in it, I had a crazy looking cap, he said of an early project where he used scaffolding that would never pass OSHA controls todayNorm Abram, of PBS This Old House, with correspondent Mark Strassmann. Construction Crack' title='Construction Crack' />CBS News. One Christmas, when Abram was a kid, his father gave him a Handy Andy toolbox. It opened his eyes to the joys of working with his hands. A truck pulls in, dumps a big load of lumber there, and all of a sudden the carpenters come out and take saws and hammers and start cutting material. And a house just comes to life, Abram said. And its not as easy as it looks, but its very rewarding. Its a reward Abram worries fewer and fewer Americans are experiencing. Its the biggest thing I hear from contractors, he said. Whats your biggest problem I cant find good help. Americas economy has a growing labor crisis a shortage of skilled construction workers. These men and women carpenters, plumbers, electricians and masons put a roof over your head. Theyre getting harder and harder to find, at a time when with two devastating mainland storms in the past month theyve never been more needed. New Construction Crack In Basement Floor' title='New Construction Crack In Basement Floor' />For more than 50 years, Dow Corning has used its pioneered and proven technologies to advance sustainable construction. Easy Mods For Farming Simulator 2013 more. President Donald Trumps crackdown on illegal immigration is already having a positive impact on American workers through increased wages in the construction. KFORM, Reinforced, steel, supplies, Suppliers,Rebar, stainless, jointex, spacers, concrete, bolsters, chairs, cover blocks, fibre cement spacers, Stools, safety. Life is filled with little mysteries thankfully, science is able to answer some of them. Strangebuttrue facts and analysis of unexplained mysteries. Shop 690 Construction products at Northern Tool Equipment. Construction Cracks' title='Construction Cracks' />Over the last four years, weve seen rising rates of open jobs, said Robert Dietz, chief economist for the National Association of Homebuilders. In other words, theres a help wanted sign put out by the builder or the remodeler, and they simply cant fill it. We talked to Dietz about these Made in America jobs, a traditional front door to the American dream. Over the decades as weve gone through different rounds of infrastructure development, building the nations suburbs, the highways and the rest, those construction jobs have been a critical part of building a middle class, he said. The challenge right now is that we simply do not have enough people who are ready and willing and able to join the construction industry. After the Great Recession hit, hundreds of thousands of construction workers and skilled tradesmen and women left the industry and those positions need to be refilled. CBS News. The 2. 00. More than 1. 5 million residential construction workers left the industry. Some changed careers others simply retired. Many immigrant workers went home and never came back because of tougher immigration laws. Add it all up, and since the Great Recession, the industry has recovered fewer than half of those jobsSo, if we dont get those workers, housing costs ultimately are going to be higher, Dietz said, and thats going to price out workers from being able to buy homes. The construction industry has tried raising wages. It is also turning to pre fabricated homes to make up for the labor shortfall. But its not enough. By one estimate, for every skilled worker entering the workforce, there are five who retire,When asked what his sons feel about his line of work, Henry Jackson, a construction manager in Baltimore, replied, They think its grueling, back breaking work and they dont want to do it. And what do you tell them asked Strassmann. I tell em that it is, but its very rewarding at the end of the day, Jackson replied. Construction manager Henry Jackson with Mark Strassmann. CBS News. The attitude of Jacksons kids is typical. A 2. 01. 7 survey of career minded young people found that only three percent were interested in a construction trade. We have companies out there that will, literally, stand in line waiting for kids to interview them to offer them jobs, said Kurt Adam, assistant superintendent at Lehigh Career Technical Institute near Allentown, Pennsylvania. This high school teaches 4. Graduates leave with a specific skill plumbing, welding, carpentry and some leave with jobs that can start at 6. Strassmann said, One of your kids told me the perception they have to overcome is that Tech is for stupid kids. Absolutely, said Adam. And its been that way forever. I graduated from high school in 1. If you were lazy, if you were stupid, you went to Tech. And that still exists today out there. And we fight that every day. But do you think the general public understands what you do No, no, he replied. Or the need hereJody Ann Young, studying to become a plumber, at the Lehigh Career Technical Institute in Schnecksville, Pa. CBS News. They do when they need a plumber to come fix their toilet at midnight on a Saturday, and hes getting paid 7. This is a basic Tesla coil schematic click the image to enlarge. The schematic shows a static spark gap. If youre using a rotary spark gap, simply replace the. Thats when they get it. And thats a challenge. Seventeen year old Jody Ann Youngs career path surprised even her I didnt come to LCGI to be a plumber. Im a girly girl, as you can see. But when I walked into the plumbing lab, I just got so excited about, you know, the things that plumbers do. And have you thought about college Strassmann asked. I have. I want to finish the apprenticeship program, take my journeymans, then take my license to be a master plumber. And then I feel like I should go to college to take business classes and own my own business one day. You have a plan, as a high school senior. How many of your friends can say thatNot many Young laughed. Seventy percent of graduating high school seniors head off to a two or four year college where, in addition to their studies, many learn how to build debt. On average, college grads leave school with 3. It drives Mike Rowe former host of the TV show Dirty Jobs crazy. He believes not everyone has to go to college. Mike Rowe, of the series Dirty Jobs. CBS News. Look, I got nothing against cars, but not everybody has to drive a Lamborghini, you know Rowe said. I mean, there are just a lot of sensible ways to get to where youre going. And in the same way weve ignored entire categories of good jobs, weve ignored entire categories of education, apprenticeships, fellowships. For years, Rowe has shown us that dirty jobs are also important jobs. The popular portrayals of blue collar work are so predictable, theyre so hackneyed if theres a plumber on TV, you know, hes 3. Rowe laughed. You just know it, he has to. Since 2. Mike Rowe WORKS Foundation has boosted awareness about the skilled labor shortage. So, years of predictable portrayals, coupled with well intended parents and guidance counselors trying to elevate one form of education at the expense of others, have, in my opinion, conspired to marginalize an entire chunk of the workforce, he said. Which brings us back to This Old House, now in its 3. For the first time, this season will showcase three young apprentices, as they learn how to build a career.