Workforce Recruitment Article Highlights AGC Efforts Nationwide

When Equipment World magazine wanted to run a special report on the construction industry’s successful efforts to attract new workers, it turned to several programs sponsored by AGC members and chapters. The 20-page report does note that the construction industry has reported a decline in the number of workers over the past year, but also notes that the energy sector is still booming and the average worker isn’t getting any younger. Highlights include an article on Crossland Construction’s outreach program for students in grades 5 through 12. Called Crossland Connection, the program partners with schools to help students investigate careers in construction. Crossland has developed a schedule of grade-appropriate activities that begin with a field trip to a small project in fifth grade, with more field trips and career exploration in all succeeding grades. The National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) core curriculum is introduced in grade 9, as are outside speakers. A construction rodeo, where students get to use heavy equipment, takes place in grade 11, as do summer internships. Project management, including a hands-on bidding and estimating unit, are introduced in grade 12. Other articles focus on the Northwest College of Construction in Portland, Oregon, co-founded by AGC’s Oregon-Columbia chapter, which offers open-shop apprenticeship programs; the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation, which oversees providing NCCER credentials for nearly 5,000 students in 186 high school programs throughout the state; the Construction Careers Center, the nation’s first construction charter school, founded by the AGC St. Louis chapter; and the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia, which works with high school vocational programs around the state, as well as running an annual Career Expo that attracts more than 4,000 students annually and the SkillsUSA student competition. Equipment World magazine covers economic, legislative, general interest and industry information for those involved in utility construction, road and bridge construction, earthmoving and civil engineering, and commercial and non-residential building. The entire special report can be read online.