Skilled labor offers an alternative to the typical four-year college degree
"Construction is not a dirty word."
That is the message the construction industry is trying to convey to young people and teachers, through apprenticeships and other training programs.
Apprenticeships
The Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council oversees several hundred construction-related apprenticeship programs, both union and nonunion.
"These programs give youth opportunity," said Ed Madden, Regional Apprenticeship Consultant for Southwest Washington.
At the time this article was written, there were more than 60 active apprenticeship programs in the building trades in Clark County. Statewide, there were 1,028 construction-related apprenticeship completions in 2005.
Since Nov. 2005, the Construction Industry Training Council has offered nonunion plumbing and heavy equipment operation apprenticeship training in Southwest Washington through a conglomerate of the Associated General Contractors, American Builders Contractors and other industry groups. Tom Elliott, regional director for the CITC in Southwest Washington, says they hope to offer an electrical program soon.
The Washington legislature recognizes the importance of apprenticeships. Washington’s Apprenticeship Utilization Bill, effective Feb. 24, 2005, stipulates that 15 percent of the hours of work done on any Washington state contract must be performed by apprentices. This past April, the legislature passed Running Start for Apprenticeship, which allows high school students to be eligible for direct entry into an apprenticeship program. This law underscores the industry’s new focus on high school students. Currently, the average age of an apprentice is between 24 and 27. This worries people like Madden.
"Where are the younger ones?" he asked.
Dick O’Connor, executive director of the Oregon Building Congress (OBC), shares Madden’s concern.
"This country has an effective but inefficient workforce development strategy," said O’Connor.
He said that by their late 20s, a person who has floundered finally decides to get more skills, such as by attending community college or applying to an apprenticeship program. But, said O’Connor, "we lose them for 10 years!"
Educate the Educators
To try and reach young people sooner, one of the goals of the OBC is to educate teachers about the importance of the building industry. Each year, the OBC offers several teacher workshops, such as the following:
• Math—stresses how important math skills are in the building trades
• Basic and Advanced Green Building Workshops—shows how environmental science and constructions are directly related, and how the industry is embracing sustainability.
• Teaching Basics through Design—illustrates how building trades use skills taught in most classes, such as communication, art, science and so on.
Most teachers today, said O’Connor, automatically encourage students to get a four-year college degree. But O’Connor said that while the demand for college graduates has remained steady at about 20 to 25 percent of the population, the need in the skilled labor workforce has increased dramatically.
"The construction industry has had such a negative image for so long," said Elliott, "that we will be 100,000 people shy of what we need in five years." The ratio of apprentices being turned out is not keeping up.
Wanted: Skilled Laborer
One reason for the increased need for new skilled laborers is the imminent retirement of the baby boomer generation. Jeanne Bennett, ESD 112 Youth Workforce Program Director, said that the average age of construction workers is now 55, and approximately 40 to 50 percent of the workforce will be retiring in the next ten years.
Compounding this shrinking workforce is the continuing growth in the Portland metro area and along I-5. Lisa Edwards, Executive Dean of Workforce Development and Continuing Education at Clark College said that Clark County had half a billion dollars in new construction in 2005 – a 25 percent increase over the previous year.
Dan Graham, president of the Northwest College of Construction, stressed the difference between laborers and skilled laborers. He said that NWCOC, whose classes are open to both apprentices and non-apprentices, receives half-a-dozen calls per day from employers looking for skilled carpenters.
"But contractors have to realize that anyone who is skilled is already working," said Graham.
NWCOC makes the sales pitch of "You hire, we’ll train," convincing employers to hire entry-level people who then attend a three- to four-year program of evening and weekend classes to learn the needed skills.
"We’re set up to support people who are already out there in the field," said Graham.
The NWCOC is located just south of the airport, and opened in March of this year. It is a partnership between the AGC, ABC, Homebuilders Association of Metropolitan Portland and National Utility Contractors Association of Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Another alternative to sending employees to an outside source for training is for employers to provide their own training. Ron Frederiksen, President of RSV Construction Services in Vancouver, says his company has a strong internal training program.
"It’s easy to give lip service to training," said Frederiksen, "but is a different thing to actually spend money to do it."
Selling the Package
Entities such as the NWCOC, OBC and CITC are all working toward the same goal: to convince young people and teachers that a four-year college degree is not the only option if you want a good job. Skilled laborers who complete an apprenticeship program or go through a program such as NWCOC’s develop important "soft skills" such as work ethic and team work. They can expect to be highly sought-after, make $28,000 to $35,000 annually, which is more than most college graduates, and have access to excellent advancement opportunities, with none of the debt typically associated with a four-year degree.
"It’s not always a clean job – but the career and income potential is a great option," said Elliott.
There are several programs in Clark County that focus on bringing quality high school students and recent graduates into the construction industry. "We need to work hard to change the perceptions of academics," said Katie Insalaco, Deputy Executive Directory at the Oregon Building Congress. "Construction is not an industry for misfits or losers." Instead, Insalaco said, employers in the construction industry are looking for highly skilled workers with good math and communication skills and the ability to work on a team. Clark County Skills Center Apparently, the marketing efforts of organizations such as the OBC are working – Kampe stated that a third of the CCSC population is made up of honor roll students, and 10 percent are in the top 5 percent of their class at their home school. High school students who participate in the CCSC program earn credit toward a Clark College degree in construction technology. In addition to construction skills, the CCSC also focuses heavily on "soft skills." Kampe said that about 15 years ago, employers made it clear that this was a weak area. In response, the CCSC decided to spend 25 percent of the curriculum time on "professionalism": team work, decision making, conflict resolution, communication skills, commitment to quality and work ethics. "Employers hire out of the Center just because we have that curriculum," said Kampe. ESD 112 Students work on public work projects three days a week, and take a field trip on the fourth day to various training centers for roofing, electricians, carpentry and so on. They also receive training in first aid, harassment prevention and leadership development, plus they spend an hour per day in a construction math class. This summer, the Academy students are building bridges and observation decks at the Columbia Springs Environment Education Center. In fact, over the five years the program has been in effect, students have built much of the CSEEC’s infrastructure. Students who complete the Academy course often move on to applying for an apprenticeship in the construction trades. "It’s good practice for an apprenticeship," said Bryan Grinier, who is part of the Academy this summer and plans to apply for an apprenticeship this fall. "I want to make more money and build better things." "The kids come out with credentials that will lead them to a career," said Gail Spolar, Public Information Manager at ESD 112. "Professionals that have worked with them are more likely to hire them." Clark College Clark College also partners with the CCSC in the WorkFirst program, which introduces participants, usually part of the Welfare to Work program, to the construction trades during an 8- to 12-week course. Interested participants often enroll in Clark College’s degree program. Like the CCSC, Clark College makes use of industry advisory committees and focus groups to tailor its curriculum to what the industry needs. "We’re committed to serving the construction industry," said Lisa Edwards, executive dean of Workforce Development and Continuing Education at Clark College. "We’re looking forward to offering whatever training they need." Clark County faces unique challenges in construction workforce development because of its proximity to Oregon. In Seattle, for example, companies that hire apprentices typically work on projects located in Washington state. But in Clark County, it is common for companies to work on projects located in Oregon as well as in Washington. Reciprocity rules govern who can work "across the border"; Oregon has different rules than Washington. Construction companies that use apprentices who work in both states must be familiar with these rules. For example, according to Tom Elliott, regional director for the Construction Industry Training Council in Southwest Washington, electrician apprentices from Washington can obtain a license to work in Oregon only once during their four-year apprenticeship. On the other hand, Washington has fewer restrictions on Oregon apprentices crossing over to work in Washington. Washington plumbing companies, too, can find it difficult to use apprentices on Oregon jobs. Although there is no limitation on how often Washington plumber apprentices can work in Oregon, each time they do so, the company must obtain an individual license for each apprentice for each specific job site address they work at – even if the address changes so much as from "516 XYZ Street, Suite A" to "516 XYZ Street, Suite B." The turnaround time for the licensing process can take up to several weeks. The limitations on how often, or how easily, construction companies can use apprentices on Oregon jobs can negatively affect the success of workforce development between the two states. "The Columbia River may be full of water," said Elliott, "but it is the tallest mountain to climb." The reciprocity agreement is strict; however, Elliott hopes continued discussion between the two states will result in a more equitable agreement that will facilitate construction workforce development in both states. While laborer training has been in place for many years, it is only in the last 10 years or so that state universities have begun to offer a major in construction management. Both Washington State University Pullman and University of Washington offer construction management degrees, as does Oregon State University. As an alternative to a degree program, students can also take management seminars at the Northwest College of Construction. Dan Graham, president of NWCOC, said they cover topics such as project management, communication skills, construction law and contracts and cost estimating. He also said they hope to soon add classes on how to start a construction business and entry-level construction management for business owners. Clark College, too, offers some construction management courses through their Professional Development open-enrollment programs.Local opportunities for youth
One program is the residential construction program offered through the Clark County Skills Center. Dennis Kampe, director at the CCSC, said that the residential construction program currently has 75 students. Twenty years ago, when the program started, they had only 40 students. It is a two-year program, offered in partnership with Clark College. The first year is spent working on skills; the second year, the students build a house, which they sell to raise money to support the program.
Another local program is the ESD 112 Youth Workforce Construction Academy, organized in conjunction with the OBC. The Academy is a seven-week paid work experience in which seven students receive hands-on experience in construction trades. Academy students are generally at-risk students, or have some "barrier to success," such as a language barrier, low income and the like.
Clark College offers two associate degrees in construction technology: Applied Science and Applied Technology. All the courses are offered in partnership with the CCSC. They cover equipment handling; shop safety; blueprint reading; carpentry; foundation building; codes; estimating and plumbing, heating and electrical basics.
Workforce Development in a Border Community
Training the Managers
