Construction Career Collaborative (C3) is working for the commercial construction industry to establish a safe, skilled and sustainable craft workforce for projects across the Houston region. In order to achieve that goal, C3 works with construction companies like yours to help you develop and deliver training programs linked to a career path that enables your craft workers to perform safely and skillfully in their craft on your projects. This C3 approach enables construction companies to attract people to a career in the craft trades, an effort that will prove critical to the industry as it deals with more complex projects and an ever-shrinking labor force.
To date, 10 owners and 350 general and specialty contractors have joined together to embrace the C3 principles, break new ground and move the industry forward. These companies employ nearly 17,000 construction workers, and they have provided construction services on 25 C3 projects with a value exceeding $1.7 billion.
But, as I have mentioned to numerous people in my presentations around the region, C3 is a work in progress. Like you, we are constantly searching for ways to improve our processes and our communication to match the reality of the changing commercial construction industry in the Houston Region. We are proposing new approaches that are already showing signs of quality improvement. An example is that the Total Recordable Incident Rate of C3 projects is five times better than the rate for the construction industry nationally. Further, the Lost Time Incident Rate of C3 projects is more than 60 times better than the construction industry nationally.
Knowing that craft training is a critical piece to the goal of creating a sustainable workforce, we have launched the C3 Craft Training Endorsement Program. This recognizes the work being done by C3 Accredited Employers around craft training tied to a career path. Additionally, the program provides C3 Accredited Employers access to tools, coaching and training resources to establish or improve their craft and professional training programs.
Because C3 is driving change in the industry, one of the natural challenges we encounter is resistance from those who misunderstand our goals and the strategies to achieve them. Many times this resistance is caused by misinformation. As a result, C3 will broaden its reach so that we can better communicate to all individuals that are a part of the commercial construction industry. The message must get to craft workers, middle management, and office personnel as well as executives and owners. Our communication must be clear around the mission of C3, our strategies to achieve that mission and the metrics that gauge our progress.
We are making progress, but we need your help as a C3 advocate to spread the good news about C3 to your entire workforce and anyone who asks about C3.
With your commitment, together we can fulfill the C3 mission of creating a safe, skilled and sustainable craft workforce. C3.is.how.
To join the effort, contact me at chuck@constructioncareercollaborative.org or 713.999.1218.
