It is well documented that the need to recruit a younger labor force is placing increased pressure on the construction industry, building owners and the economy. Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) chapters across the country are developing new and innovative partnerships in their communities to address this crisis and provide the next generation with skills and opportunities.
Outside the obvious solution to connect with young people through their schools, many ABC chapters have taken less conventional pathways to providing prospective workers with the skills and knowledge to succeed in the industry. These initiatives often result in new partnerships with community organizations that share similar goals as ABC in the areas of workforce development but are not necessarily familiar with the construction industry.
Ohio: Boys and Girls Club
A great example of this can be found in Cleveland, where the ABC Northern Ohio chapter is training young men and women from the local Boys and Girls Club on basic construction skills. The students, in turn, will use those skills to support Habitat for Humanity projects that benefit at-risk families in their neighborhood.
ABC’s Northern Ohio Chapter has donated its facilities, an instructor and the NCCER curriculum to the 16 high school juniors participating in the program. The partnership grew out of individual relationships that the chapter had built with Habitat for Humanity over the years. The same is true with another partner, Youth Opportunities Unlimited—a community organization with which the ABC Northern Ohio Chapter partnered on a summer camp-style program to provide students with the skills for careers in building maintenance.
It is vitally important that students are able to work safely when they’re on Habitat for Humanity project sites, especially when it comes to using tools and doing demolition work. So in addition to the classroom instruction students will be receiving from ABC instructors, they will get to experience customized hands-on learning activities in lab space created by the students and instructors from ABC’s evening apprenticeship programs.
One of the secrets to the program’s success so far has been that all four of the organizations involved have pitched in and pulled their weight. According to ABC Northern Ohio’s Vice President of Workforce Development Scott Giesler: “We’re still learning, but the key has been to have great volunteers who know how to focus on the details to make sure everything gets done.”
The program concludes at the end of the summer, but the ABC Northern Ohio chapter is hoping that this is just the beginning for the students involved. The staff plans to stay in contact with each of the participants and work to actively recruit them into the chapter’s apprenticeship program once they graduate from high school.
California: Salvation Army
On the other side of the country in the Bay Area, ABC’s Northern California chapter has partnered with the local office of the Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center to build the Construction Training Program. Using only private investments from local businesses and ABC members, the one-week training program focuses on core construction skills using hands-on and classroom instruction. In addition, students get introduced to specific craft areas such as painting, electrical, carpentry and plumbing. All of this is done using NCCER’s nationally portable and industry-recognized curriculum.
In addition to receiving construction training, each participant will earn an OSHA certification, job interview and résumé training, as well as tools, tool bags, belts, PPE and boots. All of this is provided at no cost to the participant. At the end of the program, students participate in a job fair with ABC member companies where they can translate their training into a blossoming career.
Since the program began, 90 percent of graduates have been hired into the construction industry. Every student also earns their electrical trainee card, which is required in California for any individual working as an electrician. In addition to this first step, a number of past students have been accepted into the ABC electrical apprenticeship program to continue their training and build a career.
This is the second year of the partnership with the Salvation Army, built out of the two organizations’ shared commitment to providing training and jobs. Success with community organizations draws in other groups that are eager to work with ABC because of its world-class training and direct connection to employers.
“Leadership and the board have been super supportive and highly engaged,” says ABC Northern California Chapter President Michele Daugherty. “Our community entrenchment efforts have raised our image, expanded our reach and helped with our political advocacy efforts.”
