Students in the ACE Mentor Program of America tour the Levi’s Stadium construction site in Santa Clara, Calif., before it opened in 2014. (Courtesy ACE) Since its start in 1995, ACE has introduced high schoolers to potential careers Sports and entertainment venue construction, like most sectors in the building industry, has struggled over the past several years to meet the demand for qualified workers. The severe shortage in skilled labor dates to the Great Recession. It started when thousands of blue-collar workers left to pursue other jobs and never returned to construction, said general contractors, architects and others developing arenas, stadiums and convention centers. Apart from skilled labor, fewer experienced construction managers are entering the market to oversee the development of public assembly facilities, said Steve Hofmeister, a managing principal with Thornton Tomasetti and co-leader of its structural engineering practice. “There’s no shortage of top-flight engineering talent, but I see… Continue Reading Mentoring Program Grooms Construction Managers