Contractors looking to enhance their employees’ project management skills can enroll them to take part in the ABC Project Management Institute held at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. The course includes two non-concurrent five-day sessions providing the students with tools to improve profitability and productivity and increase quality and customer satisfaction.

This fall, ABC is bringing back its annual Construction Management Career fair Nov. 11 in San Diego, where ABC members will have the opportunity to recruit from some of the leading construction management programs from around the country. 

In front of a sold-out crowd of more than 41,000 people, the 2015 National Craft Champions stood on the Washington Nationals field July 3 and were honored for their hard work as trained craftsmen. The crowd cheered them on while the ABC logo spread across the stadium, showcasing the theme of the night—free enterprise and freedom.

As part of a coalition, ABC submitted comments June 15 to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and U.S. Department of Education (DOE) on proposed rules for the implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). ABC and the coalition offered its input in a number of areas where the public workforce system under WIOA can be better aligned with the needs of employers.

The Trimmer Construction Education Foundation (TCEF) announced the Build Your Future scholarship June 10 which offers a financial reward to anyone who is currently pursuing craft professional training in the construction industry through a NCCER-accredited program or a state- or federally-approved apprenticeship program in a merit-shop training facility. 

During the Careers in Construction Awards Ceremony March 6, ABC recognized Holley Thomas, a foreman for KBR, Houston, Texas, as its 2015 Craft Professional of the Year and Jonathan Sacks, transmission and distribution training manager for Cianbro, Pittsfield, Maine, as its 2015 Craft Instructor of the Year. The awards were presented during ABC’s Workforce Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 

ABC congratulated the winners in its 2015 National Craft Championships competition during the March 6 Careers in Constructions awards held during the association’s Workforce Development, March 3-6, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 

The Trimmer Construction Education Foundation (TCEF) re-launched its auction and now you can bid on some of the top items from your phone. The funds go to TCEF, a non-profit, charitable organization that funds efforts to train and retain the construction industry workforce through grants, scholarships and financially supporting annual ABC competitions and awards. Auction items include golf packages, beach vacations, Texas-style BBQ, cases of wine and much more. 

Can’t make it to the Workforce Conference in Florida next month? Send one of your employees instead and they can learn more about best practices in the industry, network with their peers throughout the country and bring back information to implement in the office or in the field. The conference will take place March 3-6 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and offers sessions for employees of all levels of expertise and focuses on education for mechanical and electrical contractors, business and project managers, safety professionals and workforce development professionals. 

Four finalists have been chosen for ABC’s Craft Professional of the Year award one of them will be chosen as the winner March 6 during the Careers in Construction Awards ceremony in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Craft Professional of the Year award is presented each year to an individual who exhibits outstanding skills and leadership in his or her craft. This year’s winner will receive a 2015 Ram Tradesman truck sponsored by Tradesmen International.