Like many of you, the Construction Citizen Team is taking a bit of a break this week for the holiday. Leaving work behind for just a few days and spending time with family gives us all a chance to pause and consider what kind of year it has been and to think about all that we are thankful for.
There would really be no way to list all the things that we are thankful for. But here are a few that come to mind immediately.
We are thankful for our shared mission to advance a socially responsible, sustainable, value added construction industry. Seeing substantive changes in the industry year after year – including improved conditions for craft professionals – is among the most rewarding aspects of this work.
In that vein, we are thankful for the working men and women of this country who form the backbone of the American economy. We are thankful for the ability to highlight their stories and inspire others to pursue rewarding careers. We realize there are bad actors in this industry, however, and we've fortunate to be positioned to call out those who mistreat workers and hold unethical employers accountable.
We are thankful for our partners at the Construction Career Collaborative, an alliance of responsible Owners, Contractors, and Specialty Contractors positively tackling the industry’s challenges to create a safe, skilled and sustainable craft workforce. The UpSkill Initiative of the Greater Houston Partnership has also been key in promoting careers for people with a high school diploma or its equivalent but do not have a four-year degree.
We are thankful to feature successful community college programs in the Houston area as well amazing service organizations like Community Family Centers and Neighborhood Centers throughout the region.
We are thankful for the filmmakers at the Rational Middle, who are working to promote positive dialogue surrounding one of our most vexing workforce challenges: Immigration reform. Filmmakers Gregory Kallenberg and Loren Steffy have so far released six episodes of their documentary series on immigration and we look forward to where their work goes from here. We're thankful for employers like Stan Marek, who's unafraid of tackling the immigration issue head-on.
Our sponsors make our work possible, of course, and so we cannot thank them enough.
Perhaps most of all, we are thankful for your interest in joining our mission. A sustainable workforce begins with you, whether you’re the CEO of a major construction company or a craft professional working your way up through the ranks.
God bless you all during the holidays and all year long.
- The Construction Citizen Team
