Eleco backs Chicago nonprofit training construction workers with scheduling software

Eleco is providing its Powerproject scheduling platform to Chicago-based Revolution Workshop, giving underserved residents hands-on experience with professional construction software. The partnership aims to help fill the industry’s labor gap while preparing trainees for both trades and office-based roles.

Why it matters: - The construction industry faces shortages in both craft and salaried roles, including project managers, estimators, engineers and supervisors. - Revolution Workshop is using software training to help underserved Chicago residents move into construction careers and build long-term earning potential. - Exposure to professional scheduling tools can help trainees compete for jobs in a technology-driven industry.

What happened: - Eleco is supporting Revolution Workshop by providing its Powerproject scheduling software at no cost. - Revolution Workshop uses the platform in its pre-apprenticeship programs for residents on Chicago’s South and West sides. - The software reaches trainees through Project Integration, which distributes Powerproject and provides construction project management software services. - The news comes as the 2026 AGC/Sage Construction Hiring and Business Outlook says 82% of contractors struggle to fill hourly craft positions and 80% have trouble hiring salaried professionals.

The details: - Revolution Workshop runs two programs: a 12-week Trades Pathways program and a 15-week Professional Pathways program. - Trades Pathways prepares participants for skilled trades careers. - Professional Pathways introduces students to office-based construction roles, including project coordination, scheduling and related disciplines. - Trainees come through more than 30 community organizations, including schools, workforce agencies and reentry programs. - Participants receive technical instruction, career coaching, mentoring and ongoing support. - The organization stays connected with about 70% of its more than 500 graduates. - Revolution Workshop also offers continuing career guidance, networking opportunities and transitional employment through its in-house social enterprise. - In Professional Pathways, Powerproject teaches scheduling concepts such as activity sequencing, task dependencies and critical path scheduling. - Students use the software to build real-world project schedules instead of relying on spreadsheets.

Between the lines: - The partnership is as much about digital literacy as it is about construction training. - Eleco is positioning Powerproject as a workforce-development tool, not only a project-management product. - Revolution Workshop is targeting barriers to employment by pairing job training with post-program support, which may improve retention in the industry.

What's next: - Revolution Workshop will continue using Powerproject to prepare trainees for construction jobs that require scheduling and coordination skills. - Eleco is expected to keep supporting workforce development efforts that strengthen the industry’s future talent pipeline. - Revolution Workshop’s graduate support network and transitional employment model suggest the nonprofit will keep building pathways beyond initial placement.

The bottom line: - The partnership links software training with workforce access, aiming to help more Chicago residents enter construction and help employers fill persistent labor gaps.