AGC's Project Manager Course allow attendees to develop a solid network of resources through the sharing of experiences and ideas during roundtable discussions, group presentations, role playing and team building activities.

In conjunction with the release and promotion of the documentary: “Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure,” Penn State Public Broadcasting Educational Services has produced free correlating educational materials for students in grades 6-12.Liquid Assets focuses on how our nation’s water and wastewater infrastructure provides a critical public health function and is essential for economic development and growth. The 90-minute documentary highlights the current status of our national water infrastructure and the tremendous challenges to maintain and modernize these systems to maintain our quality of life. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that $450 billion to $600 billion is needed over the next 20 years to address water infrastructure needs in the United States.Liquid Assets was produced by Emmy award-winning Penn State University Public Broadcasting, with financial support from AGC of America and others. PBS stations began broadcasting in October 2008. The documentary will be available for PBS stations that wish to broadcast it until October 2011.To date, more than 80% of all public television stations have broadcast the documentary and 15,000 copies have been distributed, including one copy given to each of the 535 members of the U.S. Congress and multiple copies given to President Obama’s transition team.The educational materials, sortable by grade and topic, are available through Teachers’ Domain, an online library of media resources from public television. These classroom resources — including include video segments, a background essay, and discussion questions — are easy to use and correlate to state and national standards.The six educational topics related to Liquid Assets are:      • Community participation/activism;      • Sustainable water use;      • Wastewater;      • Public health;      • A water system; and      • Watersheds.AGC encourages chapters and members involved with middle and high schools to promote the use of these free educational resources.

With a serious workforce shortage looming and growing frustration with the inability to reach young people with strong messages about the positive career potential of construction, AGC’s Oregon-Columbia Chapter has taken an innovative approach to attracting the next generation’s most creative problem-solvers.

In light of current economic conditions, AGC of America has decided to offer the Training & Development Conference and the HR Professionals Conference concurrently, offering one track for each conference plus some joint sessions. The conference dates are October 28-29, 2009, with a pre-conference gathering in the evening of October 27.

National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) has partnered with constructNet International to offer online instructional language resources for the construction industry. This program is designed to improve job site communication between Spanish-speaking and English-speaking employees.The first series, titled Construction English for the Spanish Speaker, currently contains two courses but will be expanded to five in the coming months.      • Introduction to Construction English I — Participants will learn and apply familiar everyday expressions         and basic phrases geared to the construction site. The importance of safety on the job site and common         cultural differences are introduced.      • Introduction to Construction English II — Participants will be able to understand statements and         frequently used expressions related to areas of the basic job site, employment, personal and family         information, and local geography. Safety is reinforced.A second series, titled Construction Spanish for the English Speaker, consists of one course aimed at foremen, supervisors, crew leaders, and administration to ensure clear communication between the Spanish-speaking employee and the English-speaking manager, particularly to ensure safety on the job site.Each course in the Construction English for the Spanish Speaker series costs $125; Construction Spanish for the English Speaker costs $195. The fee is for one participant to have 24-hour access to the online program for 12 weeks. All participants who successfully complete the entire course series through an NCCER Accredited Training Sponsor will receive NCCER credentials.Before an employee begins any course in the Construction English for the Spanish Speaker series, they must receive an orientation to the computer from a Language Training Facilitator. The LTF is the company representative chosen to perform the orientation and assist employees as they progress through the course. The LTF must be fluent in both English and Spanish and take a two-hour online training session before the orientation.If training is provided through an NCCER Accredited Training Sponsor and credentials are desired, the LTF must be a certified master trainer, craft instructor or have taken modules 1, 6, and 9 of the Instructor Certification Training Program.More information, answers to frequently asked questions, and a free demonstration of the courses are available online here.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has provided $750 million for a program of competitive grants for worker training and placement in high-growth and emerging industry sectors, including construction. Of that amount, $500 million is targeted for research, labor exchange, and job training projects that prepare workers for careers in energy efficiency and renewable energy as defined in the Green Jobs Act, including: energy-efficient building, construction, and retrofitting; renewable electric power; deconstruction and materials use; and energy efficiency assessment for residential, commercial, and industrial sectors.

The National Center for Construction Education and Research’s (NCCER) Crane Operator Certification Program has received accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The crane certification program is a collaboration of NCCER, North American Crane Bureau (NACB), and Prov™.“Having our crane operator program receive ANSI accreditation is a remarkable achievement for our organization,” said Don Whyte, NCCER president.  “It further validates that our program meets the highest professional certification standards for crane operators across the industry.”The Crane Operator Certification Program identifies individuals with the professional knowledge and skills worthy of being designated as certified crane operators.  It includes both written assessments and practical examinations that meet or exceed current ASME B30.5 consensus safety standards, as well as OSHA 1910 standards, for mobile crane operators. Assessments are available in four categories: telescopic boom, lattice boom, boom truck, and industrial/all-purpose cranes.Written assessments are administered throughout the country by NCCER Accredited Assessment Centers meeting the crane endorsement requirements, and the practical examinations are given by certified practical examiners. Practical examiner certification workshops are administered by NACB.The program is structured so a crane operator can take the written assessment and practical examination and receive results back the same day. An operator’s certification is good for five years.NCCER is working with states and cities that have implemented crane standards to ensure that the NCCER program is a recognized certification program.

Among the various tools used to identify and enhance leadership and communication skills, graduates of AGC’s Leadership in Construction Workshop cite the Personal Action Plan as one of the top take-a-ways of this program. Here are some of the comments from 2008 and spring 2009 graduates:“The workbooks lead you down the path to create and utilize your action plans in a way that is focused enough to be useful."“Change is not easy, but now I have the tools to change.”“Content really helped raise awareness to the breakdown of skills that are available within the overall skill itself.”As participants delve into each module, instructors provide time for group discussion for participants to identify key tactics and strategies to focus on based on the lesson. The Action Plan is not a data dump of ideas compiled at the end of the workshop, but a device that is unique to the individual, created with insight from their peers and instructors.2009 AGC Leadership in Construction Workshop ScheduleMay 27-29, 2009 in San Diego, CA*September 29 – October 1, 2009 in Atlanta, GA*October 14-16, 2009 in San Diego, CA*November 11-13, 2009 in Cincinnati, OH*AGC is offering a reduced cost for local attendees at select locations.Special Tuition Rate:AGC Members with hotel accommodations: $2,495AGC Members without hotel accommodations: $1,695Non-Members with hotel accommodations: $3,080Non-Member without hotel accommodations: $2,285For more information, please contact education@agc.org.

The AGC Construction Education Committee (CEC) Meeting will be held June 9-11, 2009, at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, VA. The CEC will overlap with the AGC Building Contractors Conference and will come together for a joint meeting on June 11, 2009.

All AGC chapters and general and specialty contractor members are encouraged to get their applications together for the new Education Excellence Awards program before the May 1 deadline.AGC has waived the requirement that the application be submitted online. We have created downloadable applications in PDF format that are available on our Web site to make it easier for chapters and members to apply. Please contact Liz Elvin at elvinl@agc.org if you have questions.Please note: All applications and supporting material must be received by AGC by 5 p.m. EST on May 1, 2009.EEAs are designed to recognize the most innovative and collaborative training and development programs sponsored by AGC chapters and contractor members.Awards will be given out in the following categories:     • Craft (one to a member and one to a chapter)     • Supervisory (one to a member and one to a chapter)     • Project & Executive Management (one to a member and one to a chapter)One award will be given to the outstanding Instructor of the Year.A Grand Award will be presented to a firm or chapter that demonstrates learning and performance as a top concern, reaching the highest level of excellence for construction training and development programs at all levels of the organization.The first awards will be presented at the joint HR Professionals and Training & Development Conferences, to be held Oct. 28-29 in Atlanta, Georgia. Don’t miss out on this exciting new program.For more information about this new awards program, visit here .