Tag: skilled worker shortage: Page 4

Business

Another worker shortage compounded by the energy boom could delay construction of $1.3 billion Dallas hospital

Construction officials with a Dallas area hospital say their project is losing workers and bidders to stiff competition from the oil and gas industry as well as higher paying construction jobs elsewhere in the state. “Houston and West Texas are taking labor away from many of our projects,” Lou Saksen, senior vice president over the $1.3 […]

April 24, 2014

Business

Obama, Biden announce $600 million initiative to close skills gap through job training and apprenticeships

Today, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden announced a $600 million initiative that seeks to equip more workers with the skills needed to fill thousands of open but specialized jobs. The initiative will be funded by existing Labor Department funds. The first part of the initiative is $500 million in competitive grants intended […]

April 16, 2014

Business

Alabama backs dual enrollment for high school students to boost skilled workforce

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley recently detailed a plan he hopes will increase the number of skilled workers in the state by allowing high school students to learn a trade before they graduate. During an Alabama Associated General Contractors of America meeting outside Birmingham, Bentley said the state needs more skilled workers, according to a report […]

April 7, 2014

Business

Divergence of construction spending and employment could point to “fundamental change” in the industry

Recently, the folks at Business Insider put together a nicely done and comprehensive article on the skilled labor shortage affecting the construction industry and the impact it’s having on homebuilding. There wasn’t much new news to be found for those of us who follow these stories on a regular basis. Many of the experienced and […]

March 17, 2014

Business

Wisconsin contractors are having a hard time making quality hires as demand grows

Like their peers across the country, Wisconsin contractors are preparing for a sizable increase in work in 2014. According to Associated General Contractors of America chief economist Ken Simonson, construction spending in the U.S. is expected to rise 10 percent by the end of this year. And while more work is definitely good news, those […]

March 14, 2014

Business

Six-week Massachusetts construction crash course prepares low income, minority workers for the industry

As the U.S. construction industry continues to explore ways to battle the current skilled worker shortage, a training program in Massachusetts is introducing the industry to many folks who had never previously considered it. According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, the city of Holyoke is seeing an influx of construction projects as of late including a […]

February 24, 2014

Business

Ohio Gov. Kasich expands vocational education to middle schools

Previewing what he would discuss as part of his State of the State address Monday night, Ohio Gov. John Kasich said he has done away with a state rule that restricted vocational education to only students in the ninth through 12th grades. According to a report from the Columbus Dispatch, Kasich said vocational education has […]

February 23, 2014

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More funding, charter schools part of AGC’s plan to thwart construction’s skilled worker shortage

During an event at the Washburn Institute of Technology in Topeka, Kansas, the Associated General Contractors of America unveiled its plan to put an end to the skilled worker shortage facing the construction industry. The plan consists of several recommendations with the goal of drawing more young people into the construction industry. In September the association released […]

February 14, 2014

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Maryland shadow program works to draw high school students to construction training

Through the end of this month a vocational school in Fredrick, Maryland is offering students the opportunity to get a taste of the industry by shadowing its construction training program. The Fredrick County Career and Technology Center (CTC) is the home of several construction technology programs. Each year, the CTC gives its construction students hands-on […]

February 12, 2014

Business

3 things contractors can do to keep valuable workers on staff during the skilled worker shortage

The skilled worker shortage has been looming over the construction industry, and the Associated General Contractors’ 2014 outlook shows that contractors are already having a problem finding skilled professionals and craft workers. With that in mind, it’s more important than ever to hang on to the valuable workers you already have. Do you have a […]

January 29, 2014

Business

Construction skills boot camp in St. Louis to shut down due to lack of funding

After 14 years of equipping unemployed minorities with the skills necessary for a job in the construction industry, the Construction Prep Center in St. Louis, Missouri is shutting down. The boot camp cost students nothing but carried an annual budget that fluctuated between $180,000 and $480,000, according to a report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. […]

January 27, 2014

Business

Advice from a master woodworker on the shortage of skilled craftsmen

If you’re looking for a positive message to start off the year, something about character, craftsmanship, leadership and where you’re going to find the next generation of construction workers, take a gander at this. It may be the most inspiring nine minutes you’ll spend this year. [vimeo 78788086 nolink] This video is about much more […]

January 8, 2014