Elizabeth McPherson's blog

Just in time for the renowned ball drop on New Year’s Eve, the four-and-a-half-year renovation of Times Square in New York has just been completed.  An article by Jennifer Fermino in the New York Daily News this week quoted New York Mayor Bill de Blasio who stated, “There will be no more iconic place to ring in 2017 than Times Square.”

Named the Times Square Transformation, the project was a three-phase capital project which began in 2012.  Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg had opened the Broadway pedestrian plazas there back in 2009, and the recent project “transformed [the plazas] from repurposed roadways into full pedestrian piazzas” designed by architecture firm Snøhetta.   [node:read-more:link]

As construction companies continue to look for ways to grow a sustainable workforce whose craft professionals are well trained in skilled craft trades as well as in essential safety procedures, TEXO has developed an initiative to help commercial construction companies achieve the latter.  TEXO is a large trade association of builders in the Dallas/Fort Worth region of Texas, and Safety First is a safety training course which companies can send employees to for an interactive orientation in how to keep themselves and others safe on jobsites.  Classes are offered in either English or Spanish, and participants must be pre-registered as the classes usually fill up in advance and are limited to approximately 40 students each.

Todd Holtz, Vice President of Safety at TEXO, had this to say about the program:

“TEXO’s Safety First program is a hands-on, interactive safety orientation for commercial construction employees.  In place since 2013 and endorsed by industry leaders in the field of construction safety, participants have the opportunity to handle and wear the PPE they are expected to use on a jobsite, in addition to learning about the safe use of tools in their trade.   [node:read-more:link]

A 98-page report produced by Stockton University’s William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy last June presents a detailed look into the “underground construction industry” in New Jersey.  Titled The Underground Construction Economy in New Jersey, the report lists specific ways that “off-the-books labor,” also called worker misclassification, damages the construction industry, cheats the misclassified workers, and costs the state government and ultimately local taxpayers millions of dollars each year.  Best practices for dealing with the illegal practice are identified in the report, and the report concludes with 15 policy recommendations for the State.  From page 12 of the report:

“Based on the review of best practices in other states, we outline 15 policy recommendations for the State of New Jersey (page 90). Recommendations #1 through #4 are related to the structure and functions of state government entities that have duties related to employee misclassification.   [node:read-more:link]

During construction of the Partnership Tower, the Greater Houston Partnership demonstrated their commitment to developing a qualified and skilled workforce by following the principles of C3.

Last week the Construction Education Foundation of North Texas (CEF) hosted 1500 students from 43 high schools at their sixth annual Build Your Future Career Day.  Industry leaders and educators work together each year to make this event a great way to grow the future workforce by promoting the many career opportunities in the construction industry.

The high school juniors and seniors from region 10 and 11 in the north Texas area were led in groups of 12-15 students throughout the CEF complex where they were exposed to different crafts, exhibits, and employment opportunities available in the construction industry.   [node:read-more:link]

Last month, I visited Lone Star College North Harris (LSC-North Harris) and spoke with Erica Jordan, Executive Director of Career and Technical Education about the skilled trades training programs at LSC and about the Construction and Skilled Trades Technology Center which is currently being constructed on that campus.

In her office on the Lone Star College-Tomball campus, Jordan advises students and works with representatives from the industry to advise them of potential hires which are coming out of the LSC programs and what particular skill sets each of them have.

Jordan works with a variety of programs offered by Lone Star College, including their Allied Health programs, Construction Trade programs, ATCP (Alternative Teacher Certification Program), and FastTrack non-credit programs.   [node:read-more:link]

The Greater Houston Partnership’s new space will be used to show visiting CEO’s and government dignitaries why the Houston region is so special for business and living.

Michael Burns and Brian Sanders of Lone Star College-North Harris talk about the Construction and Skilled Trades Technology Center which is currently being constructed on that campus.

The 2016 ABC National Craft Championships (NCC) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida was a two-day competition last March between over 200 craft profession trainees and students.  This is the third in a series of posts featuring excerpts from conversations I had with some of the industry leaders I met at the event.  While the competitors were participating in the hands-on portion of the challenge, I talked with a VP from the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation, a Project Manager for one of the craft competitions at the NCC, the Chair of ABC Illinois, and the ABC Vice President of EH&S and Workforce Development.

Patrick Etheredge, Vice President of Adult Training and Workforce Development for the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation (MCEF) was a general contractor before coming to work for MCEF in 2015.  I asked what sort of opportunities competing in the NCC competition could bring to the future craft professionals.   [node:read-more:link]

The agreement allows federal officials to share their data and knowledge with North Carolina officials, much as they have with 32 other states working to combat misclassification.