Education/Industry Work to Turn Construction Workforce Around

The United States will need to replace 375,000 bridges as part of $360 billion spent on roadwork. Mass transit will need $72 billion worth of construction. The nation’s infrastructure will use $3.3 trillion in construction and related services. And, one-of-three schools will need repair work or renovation to the tune of $60 billion in construction.

This construction will be taking place during the next 10 years, according to the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America in a recent article published in “Construction Trends: Education” by Dr. Bradford Sims. Sims is the Construction Management Director at Western Carolina University.

According to U.S. Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics and its State of the Construction Industry 2002 – 2012, construction is the only goods-producing sector in which employment is projected to grow. From June 2003 to June 2004 construction added 193,000 employees – nearly one out of seven new non-farming jobs.

In Oklahoma, the construction industry is also booming with the construction market representing more than eight percent of Oklahoma’s gross product, according to Dick Anderson, executive director of the Oklahoma AGC.

“Projects that are in planning stages and those underway need qualified construction workers,” Anderson said. “But these workers must come with at least basic training.”

Yet, the number of people entering the construction industry as a career option is declining.

“When we build a hospital, unfortunately there are not enough qualified workers to do the work,” Anderson said. “We haven’t done our job in training the next generation of workers. We haven’t passed on the knowledge and skills as we should.”

“In a recent high school survey, the construction industry didn’t fare well,” Anderson said. “I think of 250 career choices, construction came in 248. We have an image problem.”

In response to this escalating problem, and for the first time in Oklahoma, the construction industry and educators have come together to provide a positive effect on the workforce through the Construction Education Program (CEP). And, for the first time – it’s not just about drywall.

The CEP will establish a framework for a high school Architecture and Construction Academy. The academy will help students recognize the relationship between what they learn in school and what they can do in the future by linking the classroom learning to business and industry standards.

This academy is using the educational framework provided by the National Career Cluster initiative, according to Robin Schott, Innovative Initiatives and Services Manager at the Oklahoma Department of CareerTech.

“This initiative has provided knowledge and skills to assist all educational partners, high schools, technology centers and colleges in creating a ‘seamless system’ for students,” Schott said.

The CEP, designed to turn the construction industry around, represents all levels of secondary and postsecondary education and is being led by the Oklahoma AGC, Francis Tuttle and Tulsa Technology Centers, the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, Oklahoma State University-OKC and OSU-Okmulgee.

Construction industry representatives involved in curriculum development for the program include Lippert Bros., Inc., General Contractors; Flintco Constructive Solutions; Lambert Construction, Oil Capital Electric, L.L. C.; Plumbers & Pipefitters – Local 344 Training Center; George Nemecek Interior Construction; the Oklahoma AGC, and many others.

“This program is not just about carpentry training, but the whole aspect of construction, architecture and engineering,” Anderson said. “Its purpose is to develop a pipeline of workers for construction and architecture in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas.”

Employers, industry groups, associations, organized labor and other stakeholders with local, state, and national perspectives on the construction industry are active, critical players on this team, according to Schott.

During the past several years, the state’s CareerTech system has been involved in the successful development of health career clusters, engineering academies, the Automotive Youth Education System and aviation mechanic training – each addressing worker shortages in Oklahoma.

“Much like other initiatives CareerTech has been involved with, the construction program has been critical in bringing all the stakeholders to the table,” Schott said. “They are working to revolutionize the way we prepare students for careers in architecture and construction fields.”

The curriculum being developed will provide training not only for high school students, but also for young adults in post secondary education as well as incumbent workers.

One key program, which will be located on Francis Tuttle’s new Reno campus at West Reno and Rockwell in Oklahoma City, is a Design and Construction Academy. The curriculum combines relevant core academics with industry-related technology subjects, according to Carla High, campus director.

“This will serve as a bridge to post-secondary architecture and construction certification, degree programs, and/or work,” High said. “We believe this will not only be an exciting program for students, but beneficial for this industry that is struggling for highly skilled employees.”

Tom Lippert, vice president of Lippert Bros., Inc. and chair of the Oklahoma AGC, concerned about the worker shortage, has been actively seeking a solution. He believes the education partnership is an answer.

“The Oklahoma construction industry began pooling needs with state education and AGC to see if there was potential for a team,” Lippert said. “Through the partnership that has been formed, we’ve hit a homerun.”

The importance of an educated workforce and the way the industry trains and recruits is also being addressed through the development of the Young Constructor’s Forum (YCF) that was initiated by the AGC in Oklahoma a couple of years ago. In Oklahoma, the YCF now has 142 members who are second tier managers.

“The Forum has taken on a personality of its own with members in their 20s and early 30s,” Lippert said. “These are tomorrow’s construction leaders who are attuned to growth and education issues in the construction industry. They represent all facets of the commercial industrial construction market including recent college construction graduates, those who have entered the industry from field positions, lawyers, accountants, insurance personnel and other construction professionals.”

YCF gives members an opportunity, not only to network, but to be provided with timely and topical educational opportunities as well as participating in projects that “give back to the industry,” according
to Lippert.

Forum members help with a wide variety of projects, such as Career Fairs – where they can make contact with high school students much more effectively than older AGC members. They also organize and execute their own fundraisers and support community projects like Habitat for Humanity.

“This is just one of the vehicles the CEP hopes to be able to use to help communicate opportunities in all aspects of the construction industry to the future workforce,” Lippert said.

Educators and industry experts agree that the Construction Education Program is now ready to roll.

“The papers have been signed and approved,” Schott said. “Now the work can begin.”