The construction workforce gap is no longer a future problem. It is already shaping bid capacity, project schedules, safety planning, and economic growth across North Carolina and South Carolina.
According to ABC’s National Workforce Analysis, the U.S. construction industry will need approximately 349,000 additional workers in 2026 to meet demand. That number comes on top of the normal hiring required to replace retirements, turnover, and continued advancement into supervisory roles.
In the Carolinas, the pipeline is growing but still undersized for the volume of work ahead. North Carolina has approximately 25,400 active registered apprentices, while South Carolina has approximately 7,800. Those figures represent important progress, but they do not fully keep pace with data centers, advanced manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, multifamily, infrastructure, and port-adjacent industrial development.
Dorchester County sits directly in the middle of that pressure. The Charleston region continues to see growth tied to the Port of Charleston, I‑26 industrial corridors, I‑95 distribution networks, data center investment, and advanced manufacturing expansion. Each project needs more than labor. It needs trained, safety-minded, technology-ready professionals who understand how design, cost, schedule, and field execution fit together.
That is why the ACE Mentor Program summer camp at Dorchester County Career & Technology Center matters.
This program reaches high school students before they make post-graduation decisions. It introduces them to architecture, engineering, and construction as modern, high-opportunity careers. It helps students learn what a superintendent does, how a BIM coordinator supports the field, why safety managers protect people and productivity, and how craft professionals can build financially strong careers without taking on student debt.
This article is written for commercial contractors, construction executives, workforce development leaders, school administrators, and policy stakeholders evaluating serious workforce solutions across the Carolinas.
ABC Carolinas identified Dorchester County as a strategic location because of its proximity to the Port of Charleston, major industrial parks, rapid residential and commercial growth, and access to both the I‑26 and I‑95 corridors. The region has the right combination of student population, employer demand, CTE infrastructure, and industry urgency.
The opportunity became clear: local students needed stronger exposure to construction careers, contractors needed a more visible talent pipeline, and educators needed industry partners willing to invest in real work-based learning.
ABC Carolinas brought that opportunity to the table.
After assessing local interest in expanding construction career pathways for high school students in 2024–2025, ABC Carolinas connected Dorchester County Career & Technology Center leadership with the ACE Mentor Program of America. The goal was to build on ACE’s proven mentor program structure while adapting it into a paid summer experience aligned with local workforce demand.
Google joined the collaboration as a supporting partner to help stand up and resource the pilot camp. Its support strengthens the model through funding, exposure to technology, program materials, and broader credibility tied to digital infrastructure and data center growth in the Charleston region.
Here is the simple version of the partnership:
| Partner | Primary contribution |
|---|---|
| ABC Carolinas | Connector, catalyst, contractor network, mentors, jobsite access, workforce development strategy |
| ACE Mentor Program of America | National curriculum, mentor framework, program model, A/E/C career pathway experience |
| Dorchester County Career & Technology Center | Facilities, instructors, student recruitment, CTE alignment |
| Financial support, technology exposure, STEM credibility, support for student and educator compensation |
[Quote placeholder – ABC Carolinas leadership]: “ABC Carolinas exists to connect contractors, educators, and community partners around the workforce solutions our industry actually needs. Dorchester County gives us a place to prove that paid, mentored, technology-forward construction education can move students from interest to action.”
This is where ABC Carolinas’ role differs from that of a traditional sponsor. The association is not simply lending a logo. It is aligning the people, funding, facilities, curriculum, and industry access required to turn career awareness into a practical workforce pipeline.
The Dorchester County camp is a multi-week, paid summer mentorship program for rising 10th–12th-grade high school students from Dorchester County and nearby districts. Hosted on the DCCTC campus, it provides students with a structured day focused on safety, career exploration, technical learning, team collaboration, and exposure to real projects.
A typical camp rhythm may include:
Students are organized into ACE teams that work on a capstone project, such as planning a small community facility, a light industrial building, or a school addition. The work is designed to mirror real-world problem-solving across architecture, engineering, estimating, construction management, safety planning, and constructability.
The ACE Mentor Program operates on a team model, with industry professionals serving as mentors and providing students with hands-on experience in real-world design and construction challenges.
In the traditional ACE model, students work in groups of 15 to 25, collaborating with 15 to 20 mentors to replicate the experience of a real-world project design team. The Dorchester County camp adapts that concept for a summer setting, keeping the team structure while adding paid participation and more concentrated exposure.
Students learn practical skills, including:
Students gain clarity on industry disciplines, such as the differences between structural and civil engineering, through the program. That clarity matters because many students hear “engineering” or “construction” as broad labels but do not yet understand the specific fields inside the industry.
The paid component is not a detail. It is the strategic breakthrough.
Many high school students cannot afford to give up summer income for unpaid career exploration. If the construction industry wants to compete with retail, food service, warehouse work, and technology internships, then paid learning must be part of the model.
The camp provides student stipends for full participation. That allows students who might otherwise need a summer job to choose the ACE Mentor Program without sacrificing income. It also sends a clear message to parents: this is not just enrichment; this is career-connected education with economic value.
Paying instructors is equally important. Educators are professionals. Their time, planning, supervision, and technical instruction deserve compensation. When the industry funds teacher participation, it signals that workforce development is a core business strategy, not charity work.
This is how serious pipeline systems are built.
The ACE Mentor Program has awarded over $15 million in scholarships to students pursuing careers in design and construction since its inception. More than 9,000 students from 1,000 high schools participate in the ACE Mentor Program annually, which includes opportunities for scholarships and grants. Those national outcomes show that when mentorship, education, and financial support are connected, students respond.
Paid opportunities also help build a diverse workforce. The ACE Mentor Program focuses on building a diverse workforce by engaging students who are traditionally underrepresented in architecture, engineering, and construction. Stipends remove one of the most common barriers to participation: the opportunity cost of unpaid time.
For contractors, stipend funding should be viewed the same way as safety training, equipment, software, or leadership development. It is a line-item investment in future capacity.
Construction today is not the outdated image many students still carry. It is digital, coordinated, high-skill, and fast-moving. The ACE program camp is designed to reflect that reality from the first day students arrive.
The curriculum introduces students to core disciplines in architecture, civil and structural engineering, construction management, estimating, scheduling, and safety. The goal is not to turn high school students into experts in a few weeks. The goal is to excite, engage, and inspire them to see a future in the work.
Students in the ACE program work closely with mentors on real-world projects, gaining hands-on experience and learning to use advanced tools like AutoCAD, which are essential in the design and construction industries.
At DCCTC, students will see or use modern construction tools such as:
ABC Carolinas’ workforce development van may also be on-site during camp programming, bringing additional demonstrations, hands-on tool exposure, safety showcases, or VR simulations. It is a visible chapter asset that helps take career awareness out of the brochure and into the room.
Mentors include professionals from ABC Carolinas member firms: project engineers, superintendents, safety directors, estimators, BIM coordinators, trade specialists, and construction executives. These mentors bring real examples from projects in Dorchester County, the Charleston region, and broader NC and SC markets.
The program operates through local chapters across the country and pairs student teams with industry professionals who volunteer their time. In Dorchester County, the same mentor volunteers model is strengthened by the camp’s paid student and educator structure.
The ACE Mentor Program of America has a clear mission: engage, excite, and enlighten high school students about careers in architecture, engineering, and construction. The Dorchester County camp translates that mission into a concentrated summer format.
ACE mentors guide students through concept design, budgeting, scheduling, and presentation of their capstone projects. Instead of long lectures, students learn through short lessons, demonstrations, and hands-on activities.
Participants in the program are paired with local practicing architects, civil engineers, and construction managers as mentors. That mix is critical because students see how a real project team works across design and construction.
The ACE Mentor Program engages over 9,000 students from 1,000 high schools annually, inspiring them to pursue careers in design and construction through hands-on projects and mentorship.
The ACE Mentor Program engages over 9,000 students from 1,000 high schools annually, providing them with mentorship from industry professionals in design and construction.
The ACE Mentor Program has 70 affiliates across 38 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, providing a national platform for high school students to explore careers in architecture, engineering, and construction.
The ACE Mentor Program has 70 affiliates across 38 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, highlighting its national reach and impact in mentoring high school students.
That national reach gives the Dorchester County camp a tested foundation. ACE is not a new idea; the paid summer format is the innovation.
The camp culminates in a formal presentation where students pitch their design solutions to parents, peers, and industry executives. That presentation day builds communication skills, confidence, and a sense of ownership. Students are not just hearing about construction; they are presenting a solution like a project team.
Students leave with a clearer understanding of roles such as:
For many students, this is the first step from general interest to a specific career target.
The strength of the Dorchester County ACE Mentor Program summer camp lies in each partner doing what it does best. The collaboration works because responsibilities are clear and aligned around a shared outcome: a stronger construction workforce pipeline.
The ACE Mentor Program aims to bridge the skills gap in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries by creating a pipeline of job-ready young professionals. The Dorchester County camp takes that aim and connects it to immediate regional demand.
Students tour active commercial construction sites and professional design studios as part of the program’s immersive experience. In the Charleston region, those tours can help students connect classroom concepts to real field conditions, real schedules, and real teams.
The ACE Mentor Program of Greater Philadelphia hosts an annual scholarship breakfast to support students pursuing careers in architecture, construction, and engineering. That example shows how local ACE affiliates can build strong traditions around scholarships, employer engagement, and long-term student support.
One of the camp’s core goals is to change how high school students and parents perceive construction.
Construction is not a fallback. It is a first-choice career path for students who want meaningful work, strong wages, fast advancement, and ownership of physical outcomes. The industry builds the schools, hospitals, industrial facilities, data centers, roads, utilities, and commercial spaces that shape every city in the Carolinas.
The camp helps students and parents understand multiple routes into the industry:
For many roles, students can pursue careers without taking on four years of student debt. They can earn while they learn, continue building skills, and move from apprentice to foreman, superintendent, estimator, project manager, safety leader, or business owner.
Mentors and instructors can share real stories of career progression, compensation, leadership, and ownership. That kind of direct conversation has more impact than a brochure.
The merit shop philosophy reinforces this opportunity by emphasizing open competition, performance, safety, ethics, and reward based on value delivered. Approximately 84 percent of registered apprenticeship providers nationally are nonunion, indicating that open-shop and merit-shop contractors carry a large share of training capacity. The point is not political. The point is practical: construction employers are already building pathways, and more students need to see them.
Over 70% of ACE graduates pursue a college degree or trade certificate program related to the industry. That outcome matters because it shows the ace mentor model does more than inspire interest for a day. It helps students continue into education and training connected to real careers.
The Dorchester County camp is designed as the first rung on a ladder.
Students who complete the ACE Mentor Program camp can continue into DCCTC construction, engineering, or architecture pathways during the school year. They can build on their camp experience with additional coursework, credentials, and jobsite exposure.
ABC Carolinas member firms can support that next step by offering:
The camp also connects naturally to state-registered apprenticeships in North Carolina and South Carolina. Early exposure in high school helps more students understand what apprenticeships are, how paid training works, and why skilled craft careers can lead to leadership and financial stability.
Future cohorts could deepen impact by adding scholarships, tool grants, certification vouchers, OSHA 10 opportunities, NCCER modules, and stronger alumni tracking.
The objective is clear: help students move from curiosity to commitment, and then from commitment to a real role in the construction industry.
The Dorchester County ACE Mentor Program summer camp is built as a replicable template, not a one-time pilot.
ABC Carolinas plans to document lessons learned, including recruitment strategies, mentor management, stipend funding, educator compensation, technology integration, site visit coordination, and post-camp follow-up. Those lessons can help other school districts and workforce partners move faster.
Replication opportunities are strong across:
This model also aligns with current state workforce priorities: expanding youth apprenticeships, increasing CTE participation, strengthening dual-enrollment pathways, and connecting employers earlier with students.
Early, paid exposure to construction careers during high school is one of the strongest levers available. It gives students enough time to make informed choices before graduation, and it gives employers a chance to build relationships before students disappear into unrelated jobs.
Success should be measured with discipline. A strong story is useful, but workforce development must be tracked.
Short-term metrics should include:
Medium-term metrics should include:
Long-term goals should include multiple ACE mentor program camps across North and South Carolina, sustained contractor participation, measurable placements in the industry, and a visible impact on labor availability for major construction projects.
[Quote placeholder – ACE Mentor Program of America leadership]: “Dorchester County can become a benchmark for how ACE, ABC chapters, school districts, and industry partners work together to create paid, scalable pathways into architecture, engineering, and construction.”
The goal is optimistic but practical: build the system, measure the outcomes, improve the model, and continue scaling where demand is greatest.
The ACE Mentor Program summer camp model only works at scale if contractors, educators, students, parents, and policy stakeholders participate in specific ways.
For commercial contractors:
For educators and school districts:
For students and parents:
For policymakers and workforce development leaders:
This is how the construction industry moves from talking about the workforce gap to solving it.
ABC Carolinas will continue to share updates on the Dorchester County ACE Mentor Program camp and broader workforce development initiatives across North and South Carolina.
Contractors and educators can stay connected through:
If your company can host a tour, provide a mentor, sponsor a stipend, or support a future cohort, now is the time to engage. If your school district wants to bring the ACE program model to your community, ABC Carolinas can help start the conversation.
The construction workforce gap will only close if industry leaders invest early, visibly, and consistently in models like the Dorchester County ACE Mentor Program camp.
The camp is designed for high school students, typically rising 10th through 12th graders, enrolled in Dorchester County schools or nearby districts. Priority is generally given to students interested in architecture, engineering, construction, design and construction, or related technical fields.
No prior technical experience is required. Students need an interest in learning, a willingness to work as part of a team, and the ability to commit to the full camp schedule to receive the stipend. Specific eligibility details, including age, grade level, application deadlines, and registration steps, are provided by DCCTC and ABC Carolinas before each camp cohort.
Student stipends and educator compensation are funded through a combination of industry sponsorships, support from partners like Google, and targeted workforce development resources coordinated by ABC Carolinas and DCCTC.
ABC Carolinas invites member contractors, suppliers, service providers, and community sponsors to contribute to stipend and instructor funds as part of a long-term workforce investment strategy. One goal of the Dorchester County pilot is to build a sustainable funding model that other districts across North Carolina and South Carolina can adapt.
ACE mentors are typically professionals from ABC Carolinas member firms who commit to scheduled sessions throughout the camp. That may include weekly in-person meetings, planning calls, jobsite tours, demonstrations, or attendance at the capstone presentation day.
Companies can scale involvement based on capacity. A firm might provide one mentor, host a single site visit, sponsor a student stipend, or support several mentors across multiple teams. ABC Carolinas and the ACE Mentor Program of America provide structure, training concepts, scheduling support, and clear expectations to make participation manageable
