One way to fight the gaping hole in the construction workforce is to introduce construction to students at an early age. Jeffrey "J" Prothero is doing just that with Toolbox.

Prothero and members of the construction industry are teaching an after school program to elementary students in Roswell. The class runs the entire year and meets once a week, and it doesn't just show kids how great construction can be, but also teaches them soft skills, something they'll need in any occupation as they get older.

This isn't a passive program, as the students use heavy equipment—under adult supervision, of course—and they work in pairs to finish the projects mainly on their own. The gap in the workforce pipeline for the construction industry is real, and Prothero and his volunteers are hoping to do a small part to help fill a dire need for skilled labor in the near future.