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RETRAINING FOR A NEW LIFE
Thanks to a concerted effort by several Associated Constructors of Maine (ACM) members and staff, the chapter recently launched a much-needed Heavy Equipment Operator program in central Maine. ACM filled all the seats of its first two heavy equipment classes (of 30 students each) with former paper mill-workers who were downsized by Great Northern Paper (GNP) in late December 2002. This program, coupled with AGC’s Supervisory Training Program (STP), will provide critical retraining for many former mill workers and others displaced from Maine’s struggling manufacturing industries.
Source: Constructor Magazine March 2004
IGNITING STUDENT INTEREST
The North Carolina Department of Transportation On-The-Job Training Program, Carolinas AGC, and the North Carolina Western School District held the second annual Construction Career Days in Waynesville, NC, on October 7 through 9, 2003, at the Haywood Community Fairgrounds. The three-day event was partially funded by monies and donations provided by Carolinas AGC member firms. Students from 23 high schools in Western North Carolina participated in the Construction Career Days, some traveling from as far as two hours away.
Source: Constructor Magazine March 2004
ACE MENTOR PROGRAM BRIDGES WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT GAP
This school year, more than 3,500 students are getting a firsthand look at the architecture, construction, and engineering industries in one of the nation’s most popular mentor programs. Professionals from the three pillars of architecture, construction, and engineering — thus the name, ACE — provide hands-on experience to thousands of high school students. Since beginning as a non-profit corporation, the ACE Mentor Program, now in its eighth full year, can be found in most major cities across the United States.
Source: Constructor Magazine March 2004
"ACE"-ING THE TEST
The Academy for Career Education (ACE) in Reno, NV, has successfully completed its fledgling year as a charter school. ACE is a school founded on a unique approach to education, one that combines a traditional curriculum with construction disciplines. With the support provided by the Nevada Chapter AGC, whose members have volunteered their time both in and out of the classroom, the foundation for a successful charter school program has been laid.
Source: Constructor Magazine March 2004
BUILDING BRIDGES
The face of the construction community is changing at a quickening pace. Now, more than ever, new employees are coming from nontraditional sources such as women, minorities, and immigrants. In St. Louis, MO, the public school system is failing to meet the needs of the students and many community members cannot afford pricey private institutions. The AGC of St. Louis knew it had to do something within the public school system to make it work for the community.
Source: Constructor Magazine March 2004
THE CHARTERING ROUTE
What started as a policy idea dreamed up by a university professor just over a decade ago is today, by many accounts, one of the most substantial and influential education movements in the history of the United States. As of January 2003, nearly 2,700 charter schools are operating in 36 states and the District of Columbia, serving over 684,000 students.
Source: Constructor Magazine March 2004
BLUEPRINT FOR EDUCATION
The AGC of Washington Education Foundation is proud of its involvement with Mt. Si High School’s Construction Technology Program. Beginning in the 2001–2002 school year, the AGC of Washington’s Education Foundation has provided technical advice and grant funding for NCCER accreditation training and procurement of specialized lab equipment to help Mt. Si create a top-notch construction education program.
Source: Constructor Magazine March 2004
OPENING DOORS
For years, educators, students, and their parents have turned up their noses at careers in the construction industry, not realizing that it has more to offer than a pair of dirty workboots. Today, AGC, in conjunction with the construction community, works to rid the industry of its negative stigma. In November 2003, AGC of East Tennessee and AGC of America co-sponsored an open house/orientation at East Ridge High School Career Academy.
Source: Constructor Magazine March 2004
SKILLS SHORTAGE CONTINUES TO PLAGUE MANUFACTURERS
Source: National Association of Manufacturers, Center for Workforce Success
Center for Workforce Success Exec. Dir. Phyllis Eisen 5/19 briefed state manufacturing leaders on a recent Manufacturing Institute/Deloitte & Touche study documenting the skills crisis. She notes that by 2020, manufacturers will need roughly 10 million new skilled workers. Unfortunately, American youth still associate manufacturing with low-paying, assembly-line jobs, and school guidance counselors don't know enough about manufacturing to dispel that image. "Who is going to run our smart machines of the future?" asked Eisen. Learn more about the NAM Study, or go to www.nam.org/careers.
orks to rid the industry of its negative stigma. In November 2003, AGC of East Tennessee and AGC of America co-sponsored an open house/orientation at East Ridge High School Career Academy.
Source: Constructor Magazine March 2004
SKILLS SHORTAGE CONTINUES TO PLAGUE MANUFACTURERS
Source: National Association of Manufacturers, Center for Workforce Success
Center for Workforce Success Exec. Dir. Phyllis Eisen 5/19 briefed state manufacturing leaders on a recent Manufacturing Institute/Deloitte & Touche study documenting the skills crisis. She notes that by 2020, manufacturers will need roughly 10 million s="Student-Library" href="/Students/PDF/Canada_looks.pdf">Canada Looks Overseas for Construction Workers
Faced with a booming housing market and a dwindling supply of skilled trades, contractors in Ontario, Canada have resorted to importing workers from Europe and South America according to a May 7 report in the Toronto Star Newspaper.
By Tom Jackson, Equipmentworld.com
Recruiting The Young
By Ashley Boatright, Heavy Equipment News
The Changing Landscape of the Construction Industry
The challenges of running a successful construction company are greater than ever. Senior managers need to contend with significant employment issues, such as hiring and keeping qualified workers in a market that fuels constant turnover.
By Marybeth Carroll, Heavy Equipment News
High-Tech Tools and Hard, Hard Work At FOB Rhino
Military construction specialists and engineers hit the ground running in Afghanistan
By Tom Sawyer, enr.com
The skills gap 2001
Manufacturers confront persistent skills shortages in an uncertain economy
Source: National Association of Manufacturers
Building a better image
The building trades battle a poor reputation among the young, struggling to recruit a new generation of workers
By Rick Barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff
NAM CHIEF RECOMMENDS NEW CAREER PATH TO DRAW BRIGHTEST STUDENTS INTO MANUFACTURING
Four of Five NAM Members Have Trouble Finding Qualified Workers
Source: National Association of Manufacturers
A Construction Job Miles Above the Rest
Astronauts use construction skills used on earth to assemble the International Space Station.
Source: www.spaceflight.nasa.gov
Innovation: Celebrated But Threatened
Dwindling supply of mathematicians, scientists and engineers is reason for alarm.
By Patricia Panchak, Editor-In-Chief, IndustryWeek.com
Worker Safety: John Deere Proves It's Possible
By Billie Swift, Risk Management Society Publishing, Inc.
CEOs Continue To Count On Qualified Employees For Corporate Success
Compiled By Traci Purdum, IndustryWeek.com
USING CAREER DEVELOPMENT TO RETAIN YOUR TOP PERFORMERS
Keep your "up-and-comers" on board by working with them to develop a career path that helps them achieve their personal and professional goals.
By Bill Sitter , Construction Equipment Distribution
BUILDING A WORKFORCE STEP BY STEP-TOGETHER
No longer content to wait for a knock at the door, more equipment dealerships and manufacturers are joining forces to recruit and train skilled employees.
By Mike McGinty, Director of Programs, The AED Foundation, Construction Equipment Distribution
COMING TO THE RESCUE OF TECHNICAL SCHOOLS
No longer content to wait for a knock at the door, more equipment dealerships and manufacturers are joining forces to recruit and train skilled employees.
By Mike McGinty, Director of Programs, The AED Foundation, Construction Equipment Distribution
NEVER AT A LOSS, ALWAYS AT THE READY
AED member companies respond immediately to the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.
By C. David Kelly, Associate Editor, Construction Equipment Distribution
EMERGENCY SITUATION MODE
Answering the calls for more equipment, more equipment, more equipment.
Source: Construction Equipment Distribution
24 HOURS OF TEAMWORK
A dealership mobilizes to respond to the call for equipment.
Source: Construction Equipment Distribution
THE WORST KIND OF WORK
New York's debris removal project is the biggest job workers and officials could never have wished for.
By Kimberly Phelan, Construction Equipment Distribution
AFTER THE RAGE
A united construction equipment industry rallies to supply the tools of recovery.
By Stephanie Johnston, Construction Equipment Distribution
PATRIOTIC PARENTHESIS
Everyday patriotism becomes an ironic solace under the shadow of national sorrow.
Source: Construction Equipment Distribution
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: AN UNBEATABLE COMBINATION
Guided by the belief that training and recruitment are interconnected, AEDF is helping dealers and manufacturers attract and develop a workforce that will keep the industry viable well into the 22nd century.
By Mike McGinty, Construction Equipment Distribution
FEMALE EQUIPMENT EXECUTIVE SELLS MACHINERY WORTH $1 MILLION TO CHINA'S YUNNAN PROVINCE
Musya Tumanyan of Hoffman International Inc. used skills and experience to complete a major export project.
Source: Construction Equipment Distribution
A CURE FOR OUR WORKFORCE SHORTAGE
The AED Foundation When looking for service technicians, wouldn't it be nice to interview high school graduates who can explain things like electrical schematics and hydraulic valve operations? There's a group of them at Chicago's Gage Park High School.
By Mike McGinty, Construction Equipment Distribution
THE GREAT TECHNICIAN HUNT: DALLAS-AREA DEALERS AND THEIR INDUSTRY ALLIES TAKE AIM AT LOCAL SCHOOLS
The technician crisis is as wide and high as the prairie sky, deep in the heart of Texas. Enter TXite, a posse of dealers and related-industry leaders intent on reversing the negative trend.
By Wayne Endicott, Construction Equipment Distribution
PLENTY OF MACHINES, BUT WHO WILL KEEP THEM RUNNING?
While there may be a glut of machines out there, more evidence reveals that the scarcity of people needed to repair and maintain them is getting worse.
By Mike McGinty, Construction Equipment Distribution
THE MAGNIFICENT FOUR
They're dealers with dignity, who are far too busy to get hung up on others' disbelief that the boss is a woman.
By Kimberly Phelan, Construction Equipment Distribution
TECHNICIAN SHORTAGE SHOWDOWN: TAKING THE BULL BY THE LONGHORNS
How a group of Texas equipment distributors got an AEDF standards-based technician training program started in their high school system.
By Loretta Hall, Construction Equipment Distribution
HARD HAT ZONE: TECHNICIANS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Average won't cut it here. AEDF's revolutionary Equipment & Technology Institute at Gage Park High School in Chicago is one tough academic jobsite.
By Mike McGinty, Construction Equipment Distribution |
