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Chapter Corner: Educating and Training the Next Generation of Workers
AGC and local chapters collaborate to train a work force to meet the growing demands of the industry
AGC’s 96 chapters provide comprehensive education and training materials that are shaping the future of the construction industry. The chapters’ local programs, in combination with AGC’s training and education tools, are attracting and retaining the best and brightest in construction.
The Michigan Chapter AGC’s outreach program for youth includes many different elements, but its flagship program focuses on higher education levels. Its Education Endowment Fund now totals $300,000, and college scholarships totaling more than $100,000 have helped 65 college students.
Hundreds of AGC student chapter members participate in programs on seven Michigan campuses, and each year dozens of college students work for members through the Summer Work Program and network with member contractors at a Student/Contractors Awareness Night.
“The opportunities our chapter provides to students allow them to see how the industry really works and are pushing them toward careers in construction,” says Bart Carrigan, executive vice president, Michigan Chapter AGC. “Many of our former students now work for our contractors and have risen up to the executive level."
The Nevada Chapter is also actively training the industry’s next generation. Its dedication to this goal is evident through the chapter’s Academy for Career Education (ACE), a construction trades charter high school in Reno. “We saw the potential to meet the need for future workers when we began spearheading the creation of ACE,” says Nevada Chapter Executive Director John Madole.
ACE is a comprehensive high school that integrates the building trades, computer-aided drafting and design and other skills into the learning environment. More than 90% of ACE graduates find jobs in the industry or enroll in advanced construction education within six months of graduation.
The AGC Training Center in Wichita, Kan., opened its doors in 2003, hoping to become the center of construction education training for the state. The center, run by the chapter and education partner Hutchinson Community College, has already provided courses in basic carpentry for 300 students.
The chapter is planning to offer similar classes in Garden City and Topeka and eventually throughout the state. “Our association is aware of the impending work-force shortage. If we don’t recruit young people into our industry, we could have a catastrophic shortage of workers in the state,” says Corey Peterson, executive vice president, AGC of Kansas. “We’re already training our future work force."
AGC of San Diego is also successfully training the local work force in its newly renovated training and education centers in San Diego and Riverside. The San Diego facility has 25,000 sq ft of classrooms and facilities, including two full computer labs and the latest in audio visual equipment in each classroom. The Safety H.O.T. (hands-on training) lab provides students with a safe environment to learn the skills for working safely on construction sites.
“We are the main provider of construction education in Southern California,” says Jim Ryan, executive vice president of the San Diego Chapter. “We wanted to provide the best environment possible for professionals and apprentices to learn.”
While the methods are different, the chapters and AGC remain commonly focused on providing members with the best training and education possible.
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| Students from the Nevada Chapter’s Academy for Career Education. |
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