Wauwatosa students take next steps to ‘irreplaceable’ construction jobs

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More than 40 high school students signed their employment contracts, got their safety yellow cords and even received recognition from Congress at a signing day event in the Milwaukee area.

Wauwatosa East High School on Wednesday celebrated its sixth annual Industry Signing Day, where 45 students from Wauwatosa East and West high schools made their commitment to the skilled trades and the construction and technical industries. The graduating class has grown twice its size compared to three years ago when around 20 students signed their papers.

With more people retiring from construction than it can bring in each year, the industry is seeking ways to bring young people in. In 2027, the industry will need to hire 456,000 new workers to meet demand due to growing construction spending, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors.

So far, the graduating class of 45 is the highest number of hopeful trades workers from a single Wisconsin school district, industry insiders said.

At least 100 people attended the event including parents, school board members, members of the Wisconsin Legislature, the Wauwatosa city government and a member of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore’s office. Also present were representatives from state union and non-union contractors’ associations.

Students signed contracts for youth and registered apprenticeships with contractors and unions of their choice. Some were graduating from youth apprenticeships to registered apprenticeships, to full time employment or after taking a dual enrollment program. Youth apprentices completed 450 hours during the school year alongside attending class.

One message the building industry passed onto kids was that their jobs wouldn’t be replaced in the advent of artificial intelligence.

“Opportunities within the trades have expanded way beyond anybody could ever believe,” said Greg Adamec, president of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry Milwaukee Foundation. “But one thing has remained the same: Our communities still need dependable, skilled labor, hardworking people to build homes, schools and hospitals. AI is not going to take that from you.”

“There is empirical data that shows the path of a young person, the younger they are, the higher that they climb into our industries,” said David Polk, the director of the Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards at the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. “The pathways these young people are taking, they cannot be roboted, they cannot be AI. We need people who can work with their hands.”

Both mentions of AI got a round of applause from attendees.

Companies supporting the event and working with students included AGI Fabricators, ALLCON, CG Schmidt, Mortenson, Findorff, JP Cullen, Staff Electric and Zignego Co.

NARI Foundation expands its reach to schools in state’s major cities

The NARI Milwaukee Foundation will start a donor-supported initiative to supply equipment and fund trades programs in schools in southeast Wisconsin, Madison and Green Bay, Adamec said. The foundation hopes to eventually expand the program across the state of Wisconsin.

“We used to just give out scholarships for people getting into the trades, but we realized it’s deeper,” Adamec said. “It needs to get to the school level, and it needs to keep these programs going. If someone in Hurley or La Crosse needs a table saw, welding machine or start a whole program, we want to be there to help.”

The foundation will help through mentorship, industry connections or monetary support, he added.

In November 2025, the Wauwatosa School Board approved an agreement with the NARI Milwaukee Foundation to receive $60,000 over three years to cover a full-time position for a math teacher in Tosa East’s Construction Capstone program.