24 Alaska Business | February 2018 www.akbizmag.com
SPECI
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SEC
T I O N Architecture & Engineering
There are plenty of reasons to enter the ngineering or construction fields, es- pecially in Alaska. While some sectors
of the industry are experiencing a downturn,
others remain in high demand, and in some
instances companies are having trouble filling certain positions. Depending on one’s
area of focus, there are a number of training
options available ranging from vocational
and apprenticeship programs to two- and
four-year college degrees.
AVTEC
The Alaska Vocational Technical Center
(AVTEC) prepares students with career and
technical skills in a number of areas includ-
ing construction technology and industrial
technology. “In our construction technol-
ogy program, students learn all aspects of
the trade—all the parts and pieces that an
entry-level construction worker would need
to walk onto the job and be a highly qualified
candidate,” explains AVTEC Director Cathy
LeCompte of the program operated by the
State of Alaska Department of Workforce &
Development. “While we concentrate mainly
on residential maintenance, some of our stu-
dents have gone into commercial construc-
tion as well.”
While some students enter the workforce
directly after the ten-week course, others go
on to apprenticeships or enroll in the Con-
struction Management program at the Uni-
versity of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). Those
Educated Engineering and
Construction Workers in Demand
Training options abound with vocational and apprenticeship programs,
two- and four-year degrees
By Vanessa Orr
AVTEC’s industrial electrical program is an intensive, ten-month course that teaches hands-on disciplinary skills and exposes students to concepts that
they will encounter in a university engineering program.
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