“SEAA is great resource of education, safety and steel industry trends."
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GoBuild Alabama recently added an Ironworker promotional video to its recruitment website. Watch Romeo Chacon's story about becoming an Ironworker. Alabama to fund Construction Craft Training By Tracy Bennett Tracy Bennett operates Mighty Mo Media Partners, Parkville, Mo., a marketing consulting firm specializing in technical writing, content marketing, public relations, and branding strategy for companies in the construction industry. She produces SEAA’s Connector eNewsletter, is a member of the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association and the Construction Marketing Association. She can be reached at tbennett@mightymomedia.com. In May, the Alabama Craft Training Act was created to fund training for workers in Alabama. Administered by the Alabama Building Commission and governed by the Alabama Construction Industry Craft Training Program, $1 per every $1000 collected from non-residential construction building permits, will fund the initiative. The legislation is many years in the making. John Garrison, President of Pell City, Ala.-based Garrison Steel Inc., a SEAA Member Company, will serve on the seven-member board, which will establish guidelines and requirements for receiving funding for individual training programs. “This is expected to generate between $3 million to $5 million annually for construction craft training by existing community colleges and qualified training organizations,” said Garrison. The funds will support grants to education, government, non-profit, community-based, and workforce development groups. “The Alabama Craft Training Act will make it economically viable to provide quality training that will attract future workers to the industry. Our goal is to solve some of the cost issues related to paying for facilities, administration, and trainers and make it more affordable for students. However, there is still a great need for industry support and buy-in,” said Garrison. One of the tasks of the board is to determine curriculum requirements for the training program. According to Garrison, initial informal discussions have centered on the benefits of NCCER’s curriculum, which covers more than 70 different crafts and has national and international recognition. The first official meeting of the board is in mid-October. “We recognize that the construction industry is a mobile workforce. In order to supply qualified labor for a growing economy, the skills and credentials earned by people participating in the Alabama Craft Training Program must be transferrable and widely accepted,” said Garrison. Another task of the board will be to prioritize the delivery of specific craft training. Garrison explained that historically crafts that require either state licensing or federal certifications, such as electricians, plumbers, and crane operators, have had access to a greater variety of training options. He would recommend that the Alabama Craft Training Program look first to supporting training for crafts that have been under promoted. This includes Ironworkers. Garrison has long been an advocate for Ironworker training, having served as a subject matter expert in the development of NCCER’s original Ironworker curriculum; a past President of SEAA, he supports the new SEAA/NCCER Ironworker training program. He is also a non-voting member of Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute (ACRI). With his urging ACRI recently added an Ironworker promotional video to the GoBuild Alabama website, which has led the public marketing campaign promoting careers in construction. SEAA member companies have the added advantage of access to Ironworker training materials, as well as the support of the association’s affiliation with NCCER. SEAA members interested in becoming a SEAA/NCCER accredited training unit and/or authorized assessment site should contact Tim Eldridge, Craft Training and Assessment Coordinator and President of Education Services Unlimited at t_eldridge@bellsouth.net or 336-294-8880. Fixing the skills gap problem that the construction industry has been lamenting for decades requires three components to be successful: 1) recruitment, 2) training, and 3) job placement. GoBuild Alabama is a model for recruitment and the Alabama Construction Industry Craft Training Program will form the foundation for training. “Our industry needs skilled workers and young people need another viable career option,” said Garrison, but it takes many parties working together. “Local schools and colleges, local contractors, mayors, councils and businessmen and women are beginning to take part in collaborating on how to carry the message and make change that sticks,” said Garrison. “Our goal is to continue the media campaign to young people entering the trades. You can make a great living doing this work and with effort and determination migrate into managerial positions or even business ownership later in your career because Baby Boomers are leaving doors wide open for young aggressive people to fill their roles.” Garrison’s hope is that the funding provided by the Alabama Craft Training Act will attract trainers, K-12 teachers and administrators, and post-secondary schools who will see the value in career-readiness curriculum.
GoBuild Alabama recently added an Ironworker promotional video to its recruitment website. Watch Romeo Chacon's story about becoming an Ironworker.
Alabama to fund Construction Craft Training
By Tracy Bennett Tracy Bennett operates Mighty Mo Media Partners, Parkville, Mo., a marketing consulting firm specializing in technical writing, content marketing, public relations, and branding strategy for companies in the construction industry. She produces SEAA’s Connector eNewsletter, is a member of the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association and the Construction Marketing Association. She can be reached at tbennett@mightymomedia.com. In May, the Alabama Craft Training Act was created to fund training for workers in Alabama. Administered by the Alabama Building Commission and governed by the Alabama Construction Industry Craft Training Program, $1 per every $1000 collected from non-residential construction building permits, will fund the initiative. The legislation is many years in the making. John Garrison, President of Pell City, Ala.-based Garrison Steel Inc., a SEAA Member Company, will serve on the seven-member board, which will establish guidelines and requirements for receiving funding for individual training programs. “This is expected to generate between $3 million to $5 million annually for construction craft training by existing community colleges and qualified training organizations,” said Garrison. The funds will support grants to education, government, non-profit, community-based, and workforce development groups. “The Alabama Craft Training Act will make it economically viable to provide quality training that will attract future workers to the industry. Our goal is to solve some of the cost issues related to paying for facilities, administration, and trainers and make it more affordable for students. However, there is still a great need for industry support and buy-in,” said Garrison. One of the tasks of the board is to determine curriculum requirements for the training program. According to Garrison, initial informal discussions have centered on the benefits of NCCER’s curriculum, which covers more than 70 different crafts and has national and international recognition. The first official meeting of the board is in mid-October. “We recognize that the construction industry is a mobile workforce. In order to supply qualified labor for a growing economy, the skills and credentials earned by people participating in the Alabama Craft Training Program must be transferrable and widely accepted,” said Garrison. Another task of the board will be to prioritize the delivery of specific craft training. Garrison explained that historically crafts that require either state licensing or federal certifications, such as electricians, plumbers, and crane operators, have had access to a greater variety of training options. He would recommend that the Alabama Craft Training Program look first to supporting training for crafts that have been under promoted. This includes Ironworkers. Garrison has long been an advocate for Ironworker training, having served as a subject matter expert in the development of NCCER’s original Ironworker curriculum; a past President of SEAA, he supports the new SEAA/NCCER Ironworker training program. He is also a non-voting member of Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute (ACRI). With his urging ACRI recently added an Ironworker promotional video to the GoBuild Alabama website, which has led the public marketing campaign promoting careers in construction. SEAA member companies have the added advantage of access to Ironworker training materials, as well as the support of the association’s affiliation with NCCER. SEAA members interested in becoming a SEAA/NCCER accredited training unit and/or authorized assessment site should contact Tim Eldridge, Craft Training and Assessment Coordinator and President of Education Services Unlimited at t_eldridge@bellsouth.net or 336-294-8880. Fixing the skills gap problem that the construction industry has been lamenting for decades requires three components to be successful: 1) recruitment, 2) training, and 3) job placement. GoBuild Alabama is a model for recruitment and the Alabama Construction Industry Craft Training Program will form the foundation for training. “Our industry needs skilled workers and young people need another viable career option,” said Garrison, but it takes many parties working together. “Local schools and colleges, local contractors, mayors, councils and businessmen and women are beginning to take part in collaborating on how to carry the message and make change that sticks,” said Garrison. “Our goal is to continue the media campaign to young people entering the trades. You can make a great living doing this work and with effort and determination migrate into managerial positions or even business ownership later in your career because Baby Boomers are leaving doors wide open for young aggressive people to fill their roles.” Garrison’s hope is that the funding provided by the Alabama Craft Training Act will attract trainers, K-12 teachers and administrators, and post-secondary schools who will see the value in career-readiness curriculum.