The Alabama program raised $1.75 million in its first year, funded by a fee levied by the legislature on labor wages and collected from contractors. Woods says the non-profit program is ready to provide its "playbook of best practices and lessons learned" to groups that want to launch similar efforts in other states.

Diane Greene, executive director of the "Build Your Future" campaign, said this grassroots effort has touched an estimated 35 million students since it started in 1997. As many as 40 states have proclaimed National Careers in Construction Week, and the campaign started a new "career days" pilot program this year.