Since its founding in 1971, Associated Builders and Contractors’ Trimmer Construction Education Fund—named for the association’s first executive vice president—has been vital to growing construction education at ABC chapters across the country. More than 50 years later, the industry faces a massive labor shortage, and TCEF is more active than ever in helping construction and trade workers receive critical knowledge needed to further their careers and keep them safe on the jobsite.
“We need to attract massive amounts of people to the industry,” says Joel Thames, who’s served on ABC’s TCEF steering committee since 2022 and became chair in 2024. “Each grant awarded supports workforce development, whether it’s attracting, recruiting, training or retaining the best talent in the industry. That’s how the committee approaches each application review: Does it meet that objective?”
Since 2020, TCEF has awarded more than 60 grants ranging from $5,000 to $175,000. Funding has gone toward a new training facility for the ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter following Hurricane Ida in 2021; the ABC Empire State Chapter’s purchase of heavy equipment simulators in 2024; as well as more than 20 COVID emergency grants that helped enable virtual education that was vital during the pandemic.
“When folks went remote, a lot of schools realized they weren’t completely set up in the new age. So, we’ve supported a lot of technological upgrades for chapters,” said Thames.
Increasingly, these technological upgrades have shifted to simulation and virtual reality that mimics the jobsite experience, which can also make education much safer for students.
The ABC Vermont/New Hampshire Chapter recently received their largest grant to date from TCEF to modernize and outfit the Vermont Construction Academy’s new classroom and shop space, which opened in April.
“[The technology] allows an immersive interactive experience between students who might be learning remotely and instructors who are in the classroom, because Vermont’s a very rural state. So, we quickly identified that, while we prefer in-person training, occasionally you might get a student that can’t be there in person,” says ABC New Hampshire/Vermont president Josh Reap.
In the future, Reap says he would like to replicate the success of the Vermont Construction Academy with one in New Hampshire.
Laurie Kendall, president of the ABC Pacific Northwest chapter, was awarded a 2022 grant to purchase virtual welder simulators, which proved wildly popular at the chapter’s craft championships last October.
“Last year, we had a thousand high school students and the line was non-stop. I think every student went through twice and several went three times to have an opportunity to utilize the virtual welders,” says Kendall.
One of the latest projects was a new fall prevention tower at ABC North Alabama, which opened in August. The module includes an entire steel structure where students can walk upstairs, use ladders and drop down into equipment and vessels.
For Thames, TCEF is imperative to fixing the incredibly high workforce shortage—over 439,000 workers in 2025 alone. “We want to help solve this national workforce crisis by funding education and opportunities to folks who may not otherwise discover this booming industry.”
And since the construction industry is incredibly dynamic, TCEF plays a role in keeping education the most current for those entering the industry.
“They’re ready to go to work, and they’re up to date on the newest, most innovative technologies and tools and resources that are now available to them,” says Alicia Martin, president of ABC Illinois, which was able to upgrade its office space, training rooms, HVAC lab and sound room with a 2021 grant.
“In fact, I might even be applying for another TCEF grant here in the next year or so, because technology is moving so fast in our industry, and we need to keep up with it.”
TCEF is funded by ABC members—and those funds directly benefit them. The fund provides awards to ABC chapters and affiliated trusts and funding programs for direct support of training initiatives and programs or the expansion of training facilities. To apply, applicants complete and present a grant proposal to the TCEF committee members for requested items.
“It’s not difficult to apply for the funding,” says Thames. “The committee will not only provide a mentor to give feedback on each applicant’s intended plan for the funds, but also offers guidance as they navigate the application process. We’re all rooting for successful [grant] proposals so TCEF can contribute to meaningful workforce programs and initiatives.”
As part of the process, applicants must also secure a financial match from a source outside of TCEF. Many ABC member companies match with their own funding. To apply, chapters must provide a cover letter, a grant proposal and financials for review at least four weeks before the TCEF committee meetings, which are held three to four times per year.
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