YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — An aging workforce is one factor contributing to a labor shortage in the construction industry, according to the National Center for Construction Education and Research. The agency estimated the industry is down more than 400,000 workers this year.

To help bridge that gap, a pre-apprenticeship program through the Educational Service Center of Eastern Ohio is helping build a pipeline of high school students interested in skilled trades.

The Austintown Fitch High School workshop is like a second home to Erika Baker.

“You don’t expect to find something that you absolutely love in high school, but I did,” she said.

The senior found her passion by accident after a scheduling issue freshman year put her in a skilled trades class.

“I sort of like to challenge myself and test my skills to see if I can make something incredible,” she said.

Erika’s been making things her whole life.

“I was not the kind of child that liked to play with Barbies,” she said. “I preferred the mega blocks and all the more tactile tools that you can play with.”

And even though turning layers of wood into a bowl using the lathe is a messy process, she doesn’t mind.

“I’m not afraid of the dirt,” Erika said. “In fact, if I’m covered in sawdust at the end of the day, then it’s a good day.”

James Fisher, skilled trades instructor for Austintown Fitch High School, said Erika’s one of about 20 of his students planning to enter the trades right out of high school. More than double the number from last year.

“They start work the day after they graduate,” he said. “Three months later they get their health care, retirements paid for. And they can start making around $19 to $20 an hour.”

He said those job prospects, plus the opportunity to have a creative outlet and work with their hands, is drawing more girls like Erika to his classes.

“I raised two daughters, and I don’t believe that there’s anything a woman can’t do if they want to go into it,” he said.

Fisher said he’s excited Erika’s carving a path for her future.

“She can replace me,” he said. “I’ll probably retire in about five years, and she can come back and run the shop. That’s how much I believe in her.”

But Erika said she just wants to build.

“I never liked sitting behind a desk and working on papers,” she said. “That’s not what I like to do. I like to work with my hands. I like to get dirty. And you can’t do that from a desk job.”

While the rest of her family went the college route, she said they’re supportive of her plans. A table she made in class even has a prominent place in the living room.

“It’s one of the most used pieces of furniture in our home at the moment,” she said. “And that makes me feel great because it’s something I created all on my own.”

It’s a feeling she wants to keep chasing, with the confidence and skills to make it happen.

“It’s a work in progress and eventually it will come to an end,” she said. “But that’s OK, I can just start the next project.”