Construction and Carpentry Pathway Guide

At a glance

This guide covers a high school construction and carpentry pathway in Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Hawaii. It sets out the rules that differ by state. The how-to for staffing, partnerships, approvals, facilities, curriculum and scheduling sits in six implementation toolkits, linked in the launch steps at the end.

What the pathway leads to

No individual carpenter license was found in any of the seven states. Graduates go to work, into a registered apprenticeship (carpenters’ union training centers and contractor programs), to a community college construction program, or toward a contractor or residential builder license later, which states issue only to adults where an age is stated. In high school, students earn NCCER Core and Carpentry, OSHA-10 Construction, and in some states Home Builders Institute (HBI) PACT certificates.

The decisions you face

1. Shop, job site or student-built house. A shop teaches the skills. A student-built house adds real construction but brings permits, a contractor of record and roofing limits for minors.
2. Which credential to teach to. NCCER Carpentry is on the credential lists in Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina and Missouri; Virginia also lists HBI PACT.
3. Who teaches it. Every state has an industry route for experienced tradespeople. North Carolina also requires OSHA-10 before teaching and NCCER instructor certification.
4. What minors can do on a job site. More federal hazardous-work orders apply to construction than to any other pathway in this series, and several states add their own.

Where the states differ most

Items are labeled Confirmed, Confirm with the agency, or Changing. Last checked October 2, 2026.

Jobs and pay

Every state has carpenter openings each year, even where growth is slow

Average annual openings for carpenters (SOC 47-2031), 2024 to 2034; projected growth at right

Show the numbers

State	Average annual openings	Projected growth, 2024 to 2034
Pennsylvania	3,030	+3.8%
Arizona	2,430	+18.8%
Virginia	2,280	+6.5%
Michigan	1,990	+1.1%
North Carolina	1,430	+5.0%
Missouri	1,370	+6.8%
Hawaii	640	+4.6%

Carpentry has steady openings in every state, mostly from workers retiring or leaving the trade. Arizona’s projected growth of 18.8% is about four times the national rate of 4.5%. Michigan’s growth is slow and carpenters are not on Michigan’s 2026 Hot 50 list, though construction laborers and construction managers are. Arizona lists Carpentry on its 2026-27 in-demand program list for CTED funding.

Wages are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics state file (Carpenters, SOC 47-2031).

Credentials and licensing

Credentials students can earn

What each state counts

Contractor and builder licensing

Students cannot hold these licenses, but they matter for a student-built house (someone must be the licensed contractor of record) and for graduates’ long-term plans.

Working with minors

For the full federal and state rules, a task-by-task decision path and a student-learner agreement template, see Working with Minors in CTE Pathways.

Federal rules

Six federal hazardous occupations orders reach ordinary construction work. Four allow a student-learner or apprentice exemption; two never do.

The exemption needs a written agreement, work incidental to training, short periods under close supervision, and safety instruction. Remodeling jobs that involve tear-out can fall under HO 15, which has no exemption.

State rules

In Michigan, check with LEO before placing any 16- or 17-year-old on a paid construction site. The state rules appear broader than federal law and offer no student-learner route.

Student-built houses

No state agency guidance on student-built houses was found. Programs that build houses tend to share a pattern:

• A nonprofit foundation or partner owns the lot and sells the house (examples: Montgomery County, Maryland; Ann Arbor, Michigan).
• A licensed contractor of record pulls the permits, and licensed subcontractors do the excavation, foundation, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work, and often the roofing.
• Students do the framing, sheathing, finish carpentry and other work the child labor rules allow under supervision. Roofing (HO 16) needs a student-learner agreement. In Michigan, R 408.6208 also bars roofing for minors unless the placement runs under a written school-employer agreement (MCL 409.118; R 408.6206(a)).

In North Carolina, a house over $40,000 needs a licensed general contractor. Put the ownership, licensing, insurance and sale arrangements in a written agreement before construction starts.

Who can teach

Every state lets an experienced tradesperson teach construction on an industry-based route. The teaching credentials are the same ones covered in the Electrical and Welding guides; the construction-specific requirements are in the last column.

If you teach NCCER, the instructor needs NCCER instructor certification in every state. If you plan a student-built house, look for a teacher with site supervision experience, and decide early who holds the contractor license. The Staffing toolkit covers recruiting and pay.

Program, curriculum and lab

A construction program needs state CTE program approval like any other pathway; no second regulator approves it. A student-built house adds a building permit and a contractor of record.

The shop and the site

• Shop. Woodworking machines, power saws, framing and finish stations, and material storage. Plan for dust collection and machine guarding; check your state’s eye protection rules (North Carolina requires eye protection in certain CTE courses).
• Separation. North Carolina’s school facility guidelines separate welding from woodworking; keep sparks away from sawdust if both share a building.
• Job site or house. Plan permits, the contractor of record, site security, fall protection, sanitation and transportation before the first day on site.

For curriculum, NCCER Core and Carpentry and HBI PACT both supply a full sequence. Choose the one your state’s credential list and local employers favor. The Curriculum toolkit has a review rubric, and the Facilities toolkit covers funding the shop.

Credit after high school

Apprenticeship

Carpentry is a long-established registered apprenticeship, offered through carpenters’ union training centers and contractor associations. Federal standards let apprentices start at 16; sponsors often set 18. HBI PACT is designed as pre-apprenticeship training. Ask local sponsors in writing what they credit from high school coursework and credentials, and whether they accept students before graduation. The Electrical guide lists each state’s apprenticeship registrar.

Academic credit

Construction coursework uses measurement and geometry throughout, which makes it a candidate for math integration. In Michigan, use the S4IS CTE Crosswalk prototype where a crosswalk is missing. Confirm that any substitution still meets state university admission requirements; the Curriculum toolkit covers this.

Launch steps

Work through these steps in order; several can run at the same time.

Review status and sources

Last checked October 2, 2026. These items are open for reviewers:

1. Michigan child labor. Resolved October 3, 2026: R 408.6208 bars all minors from construction work, and R 408.6206(a) and MCL 409.118 exempt placements under a written school-employer agreement. Still to ask LEO’s Wage and Hour Division: whether those placements need a Youth Employment Permit Portal permit.
2. Michigan credentials. The current CTEIS list for 46.0000 (the FAQ reviewed is from 2022); terms of the Gogebic, Macomb and Northern Michigan agreements.
3. North Carolina. The full 2026-27 carpentry course sequence; grade and score conditions for articulation; general contractor applicant age.
4. Arizona. Carpentry credentials on the 2026-27 ADE list.
5. Pennsylvania. Whether NOCTI Job Ready Carpentry (4215) is the 2026-27 assessment; SOAR status for 46.0201.
6. Missouri. Statewide contractor licensing (secondary sources only).
7. HBI PACT. Program hours and site requirements.
8. NCCER Carpentry. Whether Level 1 hours include Core.

Sources

Jobs and pay

• BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state file) and Projections Central
• Michigan Hot 50 Job Outlook through 2034
• ADE, 2026-2027 Regional In-Demand Programs

Credentials and licensing

• NCCER, Carpentry
• HBI PACT overview
• OSHA Outreach Training, Construction
• MDE Construction FAQ (2022)
• CTE Resource Center, Carpentry I
• NC CTE CMS, Carpentry I credential
• NOCTI Job Ready Carpentry blueprint
• DESE Previous System IRC guidance (February 2026)
• LARA, Residential Builder licensing requirements
• 18VAC50-22-40
• N.C.G.S. 87-1
• A.R.S. 32-1122
• PA L&I, contractor licensing
• Hawaii Contractors License Board application requirements

Working with minors

• 29 CFR 570.50 and DOL, child labor exemptions
• Michigan youth employment rules, R 408.6199 to 408.6309 and LEO YESA FAQ
• Va. Code 40.1-100
• 13 NCAC 12 .0406
• A.R.S. 23-231 and 23-235
• PA DLI, Child Labor Law Prohibitions
• RSMo 294.040
• HAR 12-25

Student-built houses (program examples)

• Montgomery County Public Schools, Construction Trades Foundation
• Ann Arbor homebuilding program
• Cedar Rapids Community Schools, Building Trades

Programs and credit

• ADE Carpentry program description
• PDE CIP 46.0201 document
• MDE Architecture and Construction resources
• NCCCS High School to Community College Articulation
• NC DPI CTE Licensure Manual (2024)