The Associated General Contractors of America, a trade organization representing 27,000 firms in the construction industry, warns that the industry is falling behind in the recovery from Covid-19 and is urging Congress and the Biden administration to make new investments in workforce development and to take steps to address supply chain issues.
“Federal officials may talk about the value of craft careers like construction, but they are failing to put their money where their mouth is,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association”™s CEO. “Until we expose more people to construction careers, and get a handle on soaring materials prices, the construction industry is likely to have a hard time recovering from the pandemic.”
Photo by RXR.
In Westchester, county government is at least one step ahead of the federal officials with the Westchester Industrial Development Agency launching a pre-apprenticeship program designed to create construction careers for county residents.
The agency has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to establish pre-apprenticeship training for individuals who are out of school and would like to embark on careers in the construction trades. The IDA initially is committing $50,000 for training providers. The program would prepare participants to advance to an apprenticeship program or be hired by a contractor based in Westchester.
Responses to the RFP are due back on Sept. 10 with training providers selected by Oct. 4. Preferences for receiving training would go to individuals who are ages 18 to 24 and have very low incomes.
“For young men and women who aren”™t going to go to college and want to work with their hands and have a good career, construction is a good career: electrical work; carpentry; masonry; plumbing. There are a host of things that fit into that category,” Westchester County Executive George Latimer told the Business Journal.
“Pre-apprenticeship training gives exposure to the trades and it really helps create a local talent pipeline,” Latimer said. He said that the IDA considers public benefits from projects when developers seek support from the agency and supporting career development fits right in. He said pre-apprenticeship programs help get novices to the level where they can be hired into apprenticeships or other entry-level jobs with contractors.
“There”™s no question that both from the standpoint of the process of construction, how many people get hired on a job site, to the end product, construction adds a valuable asset to the community,” Latimer said.
“That is very much a part of the economic driver of the county. When individuals master their crafts they can make a heck of a lot of money; they can buy a home; they can provide for a family. Trades represent economic development for the individual as well as the building that”™s going up.”
Latimer said government helping give young people a path to a better place in life is just as important as government making sure there is clean drinking water.
Joan McDonald, chairperson of the county”™s IDA and the county”™s director of operations said the pre-apprenticeship program “will give individuals a competitive advantage when they advance to an apprenticeship program or gain employment with a licensed contractor. There are a number of exciting construction projects taking place in Westchester County and this program will play an important role in cultivating skilled talent to work on these projects.”
In one city where there”™s been a lot of construction lately, about 200 people showed their interest in the trades at a mid-August event. New Rochelle hosted a workforce and construction job fair at the First Source Referral Center at 247 North Ave. The event gave people a chance to meet with potential employers, including event sponsors RXR Realty, which is the master developer for the downtown section of the city, and developer Louis R. Cappelli”™s LRC Construction.
Subcontractors also were there, offering positions from entry level to specialized skilled trades. They included: Lippolis Electric, Supreme Flooring, Rochelle Plumbing, Grundman Mechanical, ACA Contracting, Highlite Electric Services, United Brothers, Unique Designs; Precision Carpentry and United Community Center of Westchester.
