CareerStarter - Construction Career Development Platform

Challenge

The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) is a national leader in workforce development for the construction industry. As part of its commitment to preparing the next generation of skilled workers, NCCER launched the CareerStarter program—but needed a robust digital platform to bring the initiative to life.

NCCER faced a critical challenge: most students and entry-level job seekers lacked clear pathways into construction careers unless they had a personal connection in the field. This disconnect limited the industry’s access to new talent and left students unaware of the lucrative opportunities available in the skilled trades.

CareerStarter was envisioned as the solution—bridging the gap between emerging talent and a high-demand industry by providing direct access to employers, educators, and training programs.

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Solution

Mahusai Global Partners (MGP) partnered with NCCER to bring CareerStarter to life by designing and engineering a modern, scalable career platform tailored to early-career construction professionals.

Key Solution Elements

• Multi-platform Development: MGP built both web and native mobile apps using a modern tech stack to ensure accessibility and performance.
• Content Architecture: MGP structured, edited, and integrated NCCER’s deep industry knowledge into an intuitive Career Explorer module.
• End-to-End Experience: From job discovery to employer engagement, the platform connects student career explorers, and job/apprenticeship seekers with employers and education/training opportunities.
  
  

Platform Features

• Rich User Profiles: For both job seekers and organizations (employers, training centers, schools). Also includes an AI resume scan that pre-populates user profiles.
• Job Listings: Access to 50,000+ entry-level construction jobs & apprencieships—the largest U.S. database of its kind
• Career Explorer: Insight into 30+ skilled crafts with 6,000+ mapped skills and certifications
• Search and Video: Integrated search and video tools enhance engagement and usability

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Technology

• Cloud Infrastructure: AWS (IaaS)
• Backend Framework: Django / Python
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Frontend: React (web) and React Native (mobile)
• Content Management: Contentful CMS
• Search: Algolia
• Video Hosting: Mux

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Results

Launched in 2024, the CareerStarter platform quickly earned widespread recognition and praise across the construction industry. It has become a vital bridge connecting eager job seekers with skilled trades opportunities. “I was absolutely blown away by the new CareerStarter platform — we haven’t seen anything as good as this as far as workforce development platforms go!” acknowledged Kevin Molloy, Senior Social Impact Coordinator with Procore.

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