MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — It seems on every corner, you see new developments popping up and new neighbors calling the Sunshine State home. The boom in building also means the need for workers.
“Since I moved down to Florida two years ago, I’ve seen how much, especially around here on the West coast, we truly are developing and just how many houses and communities are going up and that need for workers,” said Carleigh Leavitt, a student a Florida State.
Day in and day out, Leavitt has gotten hands-on experience as an intern with homebuilder Taylor Morrison.
WATCH: Construction internship program helps inspire students to fill need in booming industry
“I was able to see the construction process honestly from slab to basically furnished,” said Leavitt. “We’ve gone through plans. I’ve learned how to use BuildPro. I’ve kind of seen how to communicate with the subcontractors and the trades and making sure that everything’s organized.”
“It’s not enough people coming to fill those gaps,” said Marty Dorio, a superintendent with Taylor Morrison.
Throughout the summer, the homebuilder says it’s working to close the construction talent gap through its internship program.
ABC Action News caught up with Dorio at one of their new sites in Parrish.
“I think it’s somewhere around five people retiring for every one person that’s coming into the field,” said Dorio. “Getting that exposure to anybody that’s younger and excited about construction is really big on our plate to try and backfill some of those positions.”
Dorio explained the opportunities go beyond just a hammer and nails.
“We have our architecture department, our purchasing department, warranty, construction, land,” said Dorio. “All of these different departments that have to work together for us to be able to build these houses, and without them, and without us out in the field, we’ve got nothing.”
It’s an effort to help inspire students to see a new path in a booming industry.
“I think that getting this internship has really solidified my idea for my future and what I want to do and what I want to progress towards, and so I definitely see myself staying in construction and staying in development,” said Leavitt.
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