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with a career in construction,

you build the future

5 reasons why people are joining the skilled trades:

  • You get to build the stuff other people depend on.
  • You'll have the skills that are in high-demand.
  • You'll earn good money (and faster!)
  • Everyday is something new.
  • Opportunities to travel.

first, What are the skilled trades?

Jobs in the construction industry are often referred to as “skilled” or “craft trades.” A skilled trades job is any occupation typically requiring skills learned through specialized training, apprenticeships, or on-the-job training.

Many of these jobs are experiencing high growth as they are well paid, active, engaging, and often hundreds of thousands of dollars less expensive to get into versus a white collar career that demands a 4-year university degree.

West Michigan Construction Institute’s CORE+ training course lets students explore multiple skilled trades to see which one could be a good fit for their individual interests and aptitudes.  

Learn more about the pay levels, career paths, and skill levels of a few of the skilled trades here:

If the following sounds like you, you'd be a good fit for skilled trades:

you're a problem solver

You like being active

You're a fixer and a doer

You enjoy learning

Where to start

Whether you’ve graduated high school and are trying to decide what you should do next or you’ve been in the workforce for a couple years but are looking for something new; WMCI offers the perfect course to start your construction education.

CORE+ is the introductory course that allows you to explore a wide variety of skilled trades – from carpentry to concrete. Not only do students learn all the foundational skills to excel in the craft of their choosing, they graduate with an NCCER certification! This means that whether you decide to stay in West Michigan or not, you now have a nationally recognized certification of your skills.

CORE+ students are highly employable, graduating WMCI with the following certifications:

  • WMCI Core Certificate
  • NCCER Core Certificate
  • OSHA 10 Safety Certification
  • First Aid/CPR Certification
Young man graduating from WMCI with his certification
group graduating from WMCI ESL class
Young woman graduating from WMCI with his certification
"Honestly, I didn’t know what I was going to do for a career before attending WMCI. This opened a lot of doors for me so I can now see my future career opportunities much more clearly."
KEAUNTE SWARN
Recent WMCI CORE Graduate
questions?

we can help!

Making a career move is a big decision - one you'll want to make sure you have the information you need to feel confident in taking the next step.

Don't hesitate to reach out to us for more information on the WMCI course catalog, scheduling a facility tour, and meeting our instructors.