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There are limitless opportunities to build the American workforce through government-defined and industry workforce development programs. Innovative and unique platforms can provide the way for all Americans to develop skills to achieve their dreams.
However, with an aging workforce and an insufficient pipeline of new workers, the construction industry faces a critical shortage of skilled craft professionals. According to economic data, approximately 500,000 construction jobs are ready to be filled right now, and that number will increase with economic growth and forthcoming federal infrastructure legislation.
ABC and its 69 chapters are doing their part to educate and re-educate craft and management professionals using innovative and flexible learning models like just-in-time task education, competency-based progression, work-based learning and government registered apprenticeships to build a safe, skilled and productive workforce. According to a 2019 ABC Workforce Development Survey, ABC members invested $1.6 billion to educate their employees in 2018, up from $1.1 billion in 2013. The 45% increase in spending resulted in nearly twice as many course attendees—more than 980,000—receiving craft, leadership and safety education to advance their careers in commercial and industrial construction.
ABC SUPPORTS
ABC OPPOSES
BACKGROUND
At ABC, we believe in building people through the merit shop philosophy: that projects and personal advancement should be awarded based on performance, skill and achievement. Our flexible and affordable craft and safety programs lead to industry-recognized, national credentials for today’s leading construction positions. Together, we help individuals learn, transform and triumph as they pursue meaningful careers that advance their potential and build strong communities.
Employing a construction workforce that is safe, skilled and productive means that ABC member companies take an “all-of-the-above” approach to developing employees by using a number of flexible, competency-based and market-driven development methodologies to build their workforce and deliver value to their clients. Since fighting to get our first Registered Apprenticeship program approved in the 1960s, to developing the “Wheels of Learning” craft training curricula in the 1980s, to the founding of NCCER in the 1990s, ABC has been the gold standard for education and skills development in the merit shop construction industry.
ABC works closely with NCCER, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) education foundation created in 1996 as The National Center for Construction Education and Research. Founded by ABC and leading contractors, NCCER is the industry’s leading source for craft training, assessment and certification. This ongoing, multi-million-dollar investment in training illustrates the industry’s commitment to developing the future workforce. Today, NCCER develops standardized curricula and industry-recognized, portable credentials for more than 70 crafts that have been used in all 50 states and in 20 countries.
Developing skills for all career pathways in the construction industry is vital to America’s growth and prosperity. ABC will continue to work to ensure construction companies’ workforce development needs are addressed.
ABC Chapter and Member-Specific Data: