The Commercial Construction & Infrastructure Workforce Training Program provides classroom and hands-on instruction that prepares you for employment and apprenticeship in commercial construction and infrastructure — including highway and public-works construction.
What you’ll earn
- OSHA-10 Construction card
- NCCER CORE credential or MC3 Certificate of Completion
- Optional DOT Flagger certification
Two training tracks
- SEOC track — NCCER CORE curriculum (Introduction to Basic Construction Skills), the entry-level foundation before any NCCER Level 1 craft.
- HARP / Onondaga Nation track — Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) used by union apprenticeship programs, with expanded infrastructure and highway content.
Program at a glance
- 7 weeks · 120 contact hours
- 15 students per cohort · 4 cohorts per year
- In person, with hybrid assignments, VR modules, and field visits
Why it matters
The NYS Department of Labor lists construction trades as a key growth sector in Central New York. The $2.5 billion I-81 reconstruction and Micron’s $100 billion semiconductor development are driving strong demand for skilled construction labor.
Community partners
Labor unions, commercial and highway/infrastructure contractors, and the Syracuse Build Initiative support training alignment and job placement.
Curriculum depends on your track. Both build the foundational, safety-first skills employers expect on a jobsite.
NCCER CORE (SEOC track)
- Build Your Future in Construction
- Basic Safety (OSHA, PPE, fall prevention)
- Introduction to Construction Math
- Introduction to Hand Tools
- Introduction to Power Tools
- Introduction to Construction Drawings
- Basic Communication Skills
- Basic Employability Skills
- Introduction to Materials Handling
MC3 (HARP / Onondaga Nation track)
- Orientation & industry awareness; apprenticeships
- Tools and materials
- Construction health & safety (OSHA 10, CPR/First Aid)
- Blueprint reading
- Construction math
- Commercial construction fundamentals
- Highway & infrastructure construction (concrete forms, pouring, finishing)
- Heritage of the American worker; diversity; green construction
- Financial literacy; job-readiness training
Completion requirements
- Minimum 80% attendance
- Pass NCCER CORE (70%) or complete MC3 assignments
- Complete the competency skills checklist
- Earn OSHA-10
- Resume on file and at least one job application submitted
How you’re evaluated
Pass/Fail — 30% participation and attendance, 30% hands-on skills, 20% quizzes and assignments, 20% job-readiness portfolio.
This program prepares you for work as a construction laborer or helper. Here is the national outlook for that career.
Demand tracks overall construction activity, and ongoing work to repair infrastructure keeps demand steady. Nationally, pay ranges from under $34,820 for the lowest 10% to more than $76,400 for the top 10%. Locally, I-81 and Micron make Central New York an especially strong market.
BLS: Occupation summary BLS: Job outlook
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Construction Laborers and Helpers (2025 data).