Page 49 - Careers & Stuff 2021

In Delaware, even entry-level registered nurses make $27.51 an hour, according to the Delaware Department of Labor. That translates to an annual salary of $57,200.
Other high-demand health care occupations include diagnostic medical sonographers, whose entry-level pay averaged $29.19 in Delaware in 2019; phlebotomists ($15.51 at the entry level); and physical therapist assistants ($22.62).
Construction
“For young kids just coming out of
high school, apprentice programs in the trades give them a salary, medical, 401K plans and vacations all while they’re in their early 20s — and they are not racking up any education debts,” says Ed Capodanno, president of ABC Delaware, which covers a wide variety of specialties within the building industry from plumbers to electricians to carpenters at work building everything from homes to highways. And, Capodanno adds, the jobs are open now, with many businesses in the construction industry scrambling to
ED CAPODANNO
recruit young people.
Bryon Short, executive director of
the Delaware Contractors Association, echoes Capodanno, noting, “There’s tremendous pent-up demand in contracting for projects in both the private and public sectors, along with the challenges of materials shortages and price escalation.” And he sees a larger societal change from the cultural focus that once demanded a four-
year education. “The dynamics have changed,” he says, “and people are beginning to realize that we need more
BRYON SHORT skilled people.”
As Short notes, the industry welcomes workers who want to change careers. “For example, there was a Delaware woman with a B.A. in accounting working in an office who got to talking with an electrician who was making a business call. She decided she would rather do what he was doing, and now she is in an electrician apprentice program.”
Short also points to the diversity of jobs and career paths available. “Give me a student with any interest, and
BUILDING
Delaware
TOGETHER
Delaware Contractors Association, the leading voice of the construction industry in the State of Delaware, is an organization of qualified General Contractors, Construction Managers, Trade Contractors, and Industry related firms dedicated to the principles of skill, integrity and reliability.
w w w.dca.build
Michael Peet, President
Bryon Short, Executive Director
(302) 994-7442┃Fax (302) 994-8185
527 Stanton-Christiana Road, Newark, DE 19713
DelawareBusinessTimes.com | CAREERS & STUFF 47