Elizabeth McPherson's blog

The second ever Lift & Move USA event which was held last month in Houston connected over 650 high school and college students with industry representatives from the crane, rigging and specialized transport industries, inspiring them to pursue careers in those challenging and rewarding fields.

TNT Crane & Rigging hosted the one-day event from their Houston facility where they had several large cranes of varied types on display outside with skilled operators on hand to talk with the attendees about the equipment.  Appropriately, the indoor program began with an introduction from Mike Appling, President and CEO of TNT Crane & Rigging.  In his opening remarks, he noted that the average annual salary for crane operators in Houston is currently $118K.   [node:read-more:link]

“Knowing the kind of person you are, along with your abilities, will guide you to the starting point of your career path.” - Mason Sloan, Pipefitter Foreman at Jacobs

Six men are accused of using shell companies to hide the number of workers they employed in order to avoid paying millions of dollars of workers’ comp insurance and federal payroll taxes.

Learn about the in-house welding program at S & B Engineers and Constructors.  Valdovinos, a Welding Foreman and Instructor who started working for the company 3 years ago as a pipefitter helper, shares how the program has changed his life. [node:read-more:link]

In a recent post, I shared some video coverage from the Construction Careers Expo, where Houston-area high-school students heard from contractors and owners who volunteered their time and equipment that day to expose the students to several craft professions.  The annual event was sponsored by the Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Houston (ABC) and the Construction and Maintenance Education Foundation (CMEF).

Richard Bolt is a Pipefitting Instructor, Rigging Instructor, and Performance Evaluator at (CMEF).  He is certified to train in several other areas as well.  Before he came to CMEF, he worked as a journeyman pipefitter with over 20 years of experience in the field.  He told me that CMEF offers evaluations of trainees in pipefitting.  At the Careers Expo that day the students were allowed to work on one of the mockups from the CMEF lab which is used to evaluate prospective journeyman pipefitters.  Bolt said that what the students were experiencing that day was “a snapshot of what an industrial pipefitter does on the job.”   [node:read-more:link]

The event will target high school and college students and military veterans to promote job opportunities in crane, rigging, and specialized transport industries.

The event gave 400 high-school students a chance to hear from 43 contractors and owners who volunteered their time and equipment that day, and to get a taste of various professions through hands-on activities. [node:read-more:link]

“If you work hard and show initiative, there is no end to where you can go.  The work is out there, all you have to do is go find it and never stop learning.” – Moore, Pipe Welder at Jacobs

A Pennsylvania owner of a drywall and acoustical ceilings company faces a possible 21 years in prison for misclassification violations and perjury, if convicted.

SER celebrated with a gala featuring a silent auction, dinner, inspirational speakers, and live music where they raised over $365,000 in support of their life-changing workforce development services. [node:read-more:link]