• According to the AGC of America, annual pay in 2006 in Louisiana construction averaged $42,227, 14% more than the private sector average of $36,886.
  • Average construction career salaries in Louisiana range from $42,000 and can exceed $100,000.
  • The construction industry anticipates a 15% growth in employment from 2004 to 2014.
  • Rapides Parish projects a 12% growth in construction employment from 2004 to 2014.
  • According to the AGC of America, the industry employed 138,000 workers in May 2008, 7% of the state’s nonfarm employment and an increase of nearly 4% from one year before.
CTC Pilot Program Information
In the News
 • Building Their Future
 • Gilchrist Construction Course Gets Visit from Legislatives.

A professional, high-tech industry.  A good salary.  A wide range of job positions. Opportunities for growth. 

Sound good?   Then a career in the construction industry may be for you. 
The Construction Technology Course, a pilot program, formed in the Fall of 2008 as the result of a partnership between Glenmora High School and Gilchrist Construction Company (GCC) and was offered to interested junior and senior high school students for the 2008-2009 school year. The program was such a success that it was offered to other area high schools in Rapides parish the following year and expanded to Grant Parish schools in 2010/2011. The course is now offered at Alexandria Senior High, Glenmora High School, Peabody Magnet High School, and Grant High School.

The Construction Technology Course is designed to help students gain technical and industrial knowledge and encourage them to pursue a career in construction.  The course is taught by certified teachers and employee volunteers or "subject matter experts" from Gilchrist Construction Company.  It combines hands-on application and textbook instruction and utilizes classroom materials certified and approved by the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). 

The State Department of Education (DOE) and the Alexandria Technical College have also reviewed and approved the course and support GCC’s efforts to develop and implement the pilot program. To date, the Construction Technology Course is the only course of its kind in Rapides Parish, and according to the DOE, the only construction course like it in the state.

Why enroll in the Construction Technology Course?

  1. You will earn dual credit (high school as well as technical college credit). 
  2. Successful completion of this course will mean when applying for a job at a construction company, you will bring basic construction techniques and knowledge to the table, which could mean an extra $2000 to $4000 in annual salary.
  3. Upon completion of the course, you will receive an Industry-Basec Certification (NCCER certification), and your name is added to a national database registry for perspective employers.

CTC Fact Sheet

To learn more about the Construction Technology Course, please contact Valerie Aymond with Gilchrist Construction Company at 318-483-7659.