To the surprise of many observers, construction spending jumped in October across the nation. The federal government announced this week that construction spending was up 1 percent in October from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of more than $1.1 trillion. It hasn’t been at that level since December of 2007.From the Associated Press:The construction of single-family homes and apartments climbed 1 percent in October, also reaching their highest level since December 2007. Manufacturers boosted their construction spending by 3 percent. And federal government building soared 19.2 percent, the biggest increase since October 2006.
I was encouraged during the last Republican presidential debate to hear Sen. Marco Rubio talk about the need to "Make higher education faster and easier to access.”"For the life of me, I don't know why we have stigmatized vocational education,” Rubio said. “Welders make more money than philosophers. We need more welders and less philosophers,” he said, adding that “if we do this we will be able to increase wages for millions of Americans."Here is what he said in full:
November 17, 2015
Many students seeking a certification already possess a four-year degree and have decided to learn a trade in order to make a better living for their families.
November 12, 2015
The industrial construction renaissance underway along the Texas Gulf Coast brings all sorts of workforce challenges – and educators and industry leaders are working overtime to meet them head on. Construction Citizen’s team recently traveled to Lake Jackson to check out programs offered at Brazosport College, where they’re stepping up to meet the demands of an estimated $25 billion in industrial construction projects in southern Brazoria County over the next few years.You read that right: $25 billion in industrial construction is expected in just the southern portion of this geographically isolated county in the next several years.Anne Bartlett, Brazosport’s Vice President of Industry and Community Resources, holds a unique position. She is able to cobble together multiple funding streams to make it possible for students to enter the workforce quickly with needed skills. “We're taking folks who've been on welfare and now they have this awesome job,” Bartlett said with pride. “It's a life transformational thing that is helping our community as a whole because we're putting more people into the situation where they can be good citizens.”
November 05, 2015
It was great to see the Houston Business Journal this week take note of the great work being done by the Construction Career Collaborative (C3) in Houston. Writing for the Houston Business Journal, Roxanna Asgarian said:“The construction industry in Houston, and nationally, has long struggled to bring in enough new workers to maintain its skilled workforce."A number of Houston organizations have begun the long and difficult process to change that. Chuck Gremillion is the executive director of Construction Career Collaborative, or C3. He's tasked with making the profession safer and more attractive to new workers."Asgarian described some of the challenges facing the industry, including the fact that the workforce is made up mainly of retiring Baby Boomers, which helps contribute to an unsustainable situation.There are other issues as well:"C3 has come up with standards for general contractors and subcontractors, including mandatory safety training, hourly wages instead of project-based pay, and workers' compensation insurance.
October 30, 2015
Houston-based contractor Halliburton is set to pay out millions of dollars to hundreds of employees in one of the largest settlements for unpaid overtime in the history of the Department of Labor. The government has given the contractor credit, however, for working in good faith to resolve the issue in a timely manner as soon as the problem was discovered during an internal audit.The company will pay $18.3 million to 1,016 employees. Halliburton has 70,000 employees, so this is a relatively small portion of its total workforce.In a statement issued to the Houston Chronicle, Susie McMichael with Halliburton said the company discovered during a self-audit that the workers had been denied overtime pay when they were actually entitled to it because of their employment status.
October 27, 2015
Six people are hurt and lawsuits are expected after a scaffolding collapse in downtown Houston. The accident, high profile because of the location and the number of people hurt, has prompted questions about safety on such job sites as well as workers’ compensation coverage.The facts are under investigation. But this kind of accident highlights the fact that workers’ comp is absolutely critical for those who toil on projects all across Texas – one of the very few states where such coverage is optional.KTRK television reports:“A judge has granted a restraining order against companies connected with last week's scaffolding collapse. An attorney for the most seriously injured victim filed the temporary restraining order, or TRO, this afternoon and it was granted.
October 22, 2015
Houston’s Neighborhood Centers operate differently from the way many traditional community service organizations operate. Instead of focusing on the communities’ needs, they build on the assets of the families they serve.
October 15, 2015
The American Road & Transportation Builders Association has chosen a Texas CEO to lead the group through 2016. David S. Zachry, chief executive officer of Zachry Corporation, was elected during the ARTBA’s conference in Philadelphia.Speaking to the group, Zachry outlined several key goals for the year ahead. The most important thing, he said, is for the association to remain “laser-focused on its mission of ensuring a long-term Highway Trust Fund fix and congressional approval of a multi-year bill that boosts federal surface transportation investment.” The group is also going to advocate for more federal investment in airport construction as part of the re-authorization of the nation’s aviation programs.
October 07, 2015
The Construction Citizen team recently took a tour of classrooms at Lee College and spoke with Pipefitting Instructor Mark Hartley and Welding Instructor George Vance.
September 24, 2015
