“Do our local people want to work in the construction industry? We can train them. We just need the interest and the willingness to learn for our local residents to get those jobs,” said Martinez.
He said their group is faced with the challenge of ensuring that locals are prepared to participate in the construction phase of the buildup as well as keeping the facilities once they have been built.
He said the construction industry is no longer tied to the traditional buildup concept due to the advent of modern technology.
“It’s not just swinging a hammer; you’ve got to know your math; you’ve got to know your science — you’ve got to know a whole bunch of things,” he said.
The University of Guam, Guam Community College, and the Guam Contractors Association Trades Academy, all have programs that will train residents to prepare for both building and maintenance jobs, according to Martinez.
In addition to facilities that will be built in anticipation of the realignment of 8,600 Marines and their 9,000 dependents, recreation facilities that stretch beyond the military buildup will be built as well, Martinez said.
He said the delay in the implementation of the military buildup, which was originally slated to be completed by 2014, is beneficial to Guam’s local workforce.
Instead of hiring up to 20,000 foreign workers during the peak of the construction phase, the number may go down to 12,000.
The Guam Contractors Association held its 2nd annual Guam industry trade fair at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Friday to showcase some of the capabilities and capacities of local companies to undertake the buildup project.
