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(Texas News Service) America's construction industry needs more workers, and a labor union has a program to encourage high school students to make it their future career.

The Laborers' International Union of North America's four-year program allows students to explore a curriculum including real-life, job-related activities and industry projects.

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Matthew Gonzales, business manager for Laborers' Local 1095, said the collaboration with San Antonio's Sam Houston High School allows students to receive applied academic, work, and life skills providing them with a solid foundation.

"Throughout the process, they will obtain instruction in safety certifications that will then prepare them to go into the workforce," Gonzales explained. "This dual accreditation program, they can use those credits to go to college or enter into a registered apprenticeship program."

Gonzales noted Sam Houston is the sixth campus to adopt the Union's program and the first in Texas. A recent poll found the construction industry will need to attract hundreds of thousands of additional workers to meet the demand for new residential homes and other infrastructure. He emphasized the jobs students would eventually take offer family-sustaining wages and benefits. 

According to Gonzales, the union and its training department chose Sam Houston High School for its specialized curriculum because disadvantaged communities need more options.

"The potential to make generational change and develop our next wave of construction laborers for industry needs... the potential was so great and enormous we couldn't say no," Gonzales stressed.

Gonzales reported 43 freshmen have joined the inaugural class. He added Milwaukee Tools donated more than $10,000 in power tools to make the Texas initiative possible.