Case Study: Building Careers, Transforming Communities: A Construction Talent Strategy for Equity and Growth

Overview

In 2019, Capitol Impact joined forces with Kaiser Permanente, California Chamber of Commerce, and Los Rios Community College District to confront an urgent regional challenge: a shortage of skilled construction workers that risked stalling essential healthcare facility projects across Northern California. But this wasn’t just a question of labor—it was a question of equity and access.  Together, we launched a long-term, multi-pronged strategy to expand economic opportunity in the Sacramento region, opening doors to high-wage careers in construction for women, people of color, and system-impacted individuals. The initiative has grown into a regional ecosystem-building effort grounded in community partnership, inclusive access, and economic mobility.

The Challenge:
Talent Shortages, Stalled Projects, and Systemic Opportunity Gaps

When construction delays began threatening the timeline of critical healthcare infrastructure, Kaiser Permanente looked beyond immediate fixes to address the underlying cause: a strained construction talent pipeline.  Employer surveys revealed a disconnect between projected job growth and official forecasts—employers anticipated workforce needs more than double state estimates. Worse, pathways into the trades were too often limited to those with personal or familial ties. The workforce remained predominantly white and male, out of sync with the rich racial and ethnic diversity of the Sacramento region. For students of color, immigrants, and formerly incarcerated individuals, the path into high-paying construction careers remained obscure. Meanwhile, regional employers voiced shared urgency: we can’t meet future demand without building a more inclusive workforce.

Our Approach:
Manage the Talent Pipeline and Invest in the Future Workforce

Capitol Impact applied the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) framework to co-design a strategy with Kaiser Permanente, local employers, education providers, and community partners. Together, we pursued a coordinated approach to system-building—grounded in workforce data, student needs, and sustained employer engagement.

1. Talent Pipeline Management: Data Collection, Discovery, & Listening Together with Kaiser Permanente and the California Chamber of Commerce, we convened the Healthcare Construction TPM Employer Collaborative to align shared needs and values. Through research into construction job demand and equity barriers, we identified major obstacles including transportation, licensing, and lack of entry-point awareness.
2. Promise to Career: Talent Solution Co-Design & Development To address the barriers facing construction learners, we helped create the Promise to Career: Construction scholarship fund in 2021 in partnership with Los Rios Colleges Foundation and an initial $250,000 investment from Kaiser Permanente. The program provides unrestricted financial support for learners, work-based learning opportunities, and employer-endorsed, cutting-edge training for construction students.
3. Implementation & Engagement Following initiation of Promise to Career: Construction, Capitol Impact has continued to build a regional ecosystem of learning including:
   • Employer site visits and mentorship opportunities for learners
   • Hands-on classroom construction projects (e.g., tiny homes, Habitat for Humanity)
   • Partnerships with K–12 and youth-serving programs like Construction Industry Education Foundation’s Trades Day and Design Build.
   • An expanding employer network:
     • ACCO Engineered Systems and Turner Construction Company hosted site tours and Q& A sessions
     • Kaiser Permanente, McCarthy, and Whiting-Turner welcomed students to active hospital construction sites
   • instructor support strategies, including plans for externships and professional development
4. Continuous Improvement The work continues! To sustain Sacramento’s construction workforce-ecosystem, we regularly conduct student surveys to assess barriers and impact and integrate student voices into program evolution. We are currently working with community partners to address transportation, licensing, and apprenticeship access.

Our Impact:
More than a Scholarship, Connecting a Regional Workforce Ecosystem

Since the inception of Promise to Career: Construction in 2021, over 100 students have been supported through direct scholarships, helping them pay for transportation, food, materials, and boots to allow them to continue their education in construction. Los Rios Community College District construction classes have experienced dramatic increases in enrollment post-COVID. Indeed, 100% of surveyed students who participated in the Promise to Career: Construction program reported an increased understanding of apprenticeship pathways and 80% said they would “definitely” recommend the program to others. Promise to Career: Construction represents a sustained, cross-sector collaboration among colleges, unions, employers, and nonprofits to support the future workforce. The collaboration has built a shared accountability for workforce equity across sectors, leading to employer-aligned curriculum and training and public-private investment in construction career pathways.

Why It Matters

Workforce equity is health equity. Through the Promise to Career initiative, Kaiser Permanente and Capitol Impact are redefining what it means to build for the future—constructing not just hospitals, but ladders of opportunity. By aligning partners around a common goal and building a network of supports from high school through apprenticeship, this initiative gives students the tools—and the confidence—to lead new lives.  As one student put it:

“Originally my life goal was to be an artist. I took classes because I wanted to build my dream house, and now I’m considering a career in the [sic. construction] industry and starting my own business. I’m so shocked by all the things I’ve accomplished… I know I’ve always wanted to make things, but not on such a grand scale.”

This is what transformation looks like.

Let’s Work Together

Capitol Impact helps leaders turn vision into action—and action into impact. Whether you’re tackling tough challenges or building something new and bold, Capitol Impact is here to help. Contact us!

For more on Capitol Impact’s approach to Talent Pipeline Management to strengthen the Sacramento construction industry, check out our case study from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.