Gilbane’s Cleveland offices invests in local talent with internship program, builds talent pipeline
Cleveland, Ohio – July 27, 2023 – This summer, 18 high school and college students are working as office and field interns at Gilbane in Cleveland, which invests in internship experiences as a way to help build a pipeline of local talent at a time when demand for workers in the construction industry is high.
According to Associated Builders and Contractors, the construction industry needs to attract more than 540,000 new workers in 2023 year to meet demand. Contributing to this demand is the age of the construction workforce. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that approximately 45% of the construction workforce is now over the age of 45.
“Interns allow us to see future work trends in action, generate new ways of communicating and connecting with our workforce, and we can get a sense of what their work ethic is like,” said David Agudelo, a project engineer at Gilbane. “At the same, the interns get real-life experience on the job and can get a better sense of what it’s like to work for Gilbane and in the construction industry as a whole.”
Agudelo, who previously participated in Gilbane’s internship program and now runs it, says Gilbane designed the internship program to help students better understand what roles in the construction industry they are interested in pursuing. Gilbane’s office interns typically take on accounting and marketing assignments. Field interns at Gilbane may shadow project engineers, superintendents and help write Gilbane’s responses to requests for information (RFI).
Gilbane’s internship program builds on the outreach it conducts locally to high school students through the ACE Mentor Program of Cleveland. Mohammed Khaled, a Superintendent for Gilbane in Cleveland, participated in the ACE Mentor Program while he was a student at John Hay High School. Then, he went on to earn two internships with Gilbane – one in 2018 following high school graduation and again From January through May of this year while he completed his degree in civil engineering at Cleveland State University.
“My internships with Gilbane helped solidify my direction. I was able to see full projects from start to finish, see the jobs and what the company is about,” said Khalid. “Gilbane has a great work-life balance. They allowed me to learn and grow, and it really fit my personality. It felt like home.”
About Gilbane Building Company
Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services – from preconstruction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, general contracting, design-build, and facility management services – for clients across various markets. Founded in 1870 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has more than 45 office locations worldwide. Gilbane is one of the most established and leading construction managers in the Northeast Ohio market and averages more than $500 million in revenue in the state annually. For more information, visit www.gilbaneco.com.