If you, as a company owner or leader, are unsure about going through this process on your own, C3 currently has eight peer groups of leaders in common trades that meet quarterly to work together and share best practices. Some C3 peer groups are even sharing best practices on how to the convert from a workforce of independent subcontractors to a workforce of employees.
Workforce, or lack of a sustainable one, is why C3 was established. Over the past 35 years, the construction industry has largely moved away from a craft workforce of skilled, professional employees to one of unskilled, independent subcontractors.
July 17, 2018
During my four-plus years as Executive Director of Construction Career Collaborative (C3), I have been surprised by the many myths and misconceptions that I have encountered. Given that C3’s mission benefits all the parties that comprise the commercial construction industry, building owners, construction companies and the craft workforce, in addition to the ultimate users of the buildings, I would assert that C3 is a win-win-win for everyone.
May 15, 2018
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.
May 07, 2018
One of the challenges of establishing the credibility of the C3 formula for success has been the difficulty in collecting data that illustrates the value of craft training. When we began to collect the data that makes the case for craft training, we found an outstanding example from Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing, one of the C3 Accredited Employers.
April 06, 2018
C3’s strategy is simple. The commercial construction industry needs to look at and follow the lead of other successful industries. We must treat our craft workers as valued assets, as employees, and not independent subcontractors. We must teach them to work skillfully with craft training programs linked to a career path, which enables them to earn a healthy living and live a prosperous life. And very importantly, we must continuously provide our craft workers the training to work safely.
February 21, 2018
C3’s primary goal of creating a skilled and sustainable craft workforce can only be accomplished by construction employers successfully competing for talent with other industries, something the industry has struggled to do in the last 30+ years. C3 is working with companies in the commercial construction industry to attract young people into a career in the craft trades. These employers must demonstrate to new applicants that they can provide new craft professionals with a career path that enables them to earn a comfortable living and provides them the opportunity to fulfill their personal dreams.
January 16, 2018
The Construction Career Collaborative, or C3, has grown by leaps and bounds over the last year as a business alliance of owners, contractors and specialty contractors advocating to re-establish a highly-skilled and sustainable craft workforce for the future.
August 09, 2017
There have been occasions during my tenure as C3’s executive director where I have felt as if we were trying to change the world, and in many ways we are – the world of construction.
April 20, 2017
A huge part of my job as the executive director of the Construction Career Collaborative is to spread the word about exactly what we are doing and what kind of progress we are making. That’s accomplished in a variety of ways including stories on Construction Citizen and speaking to groups of contractors, owners, and others. We also spread the word by doing news interviews with media outlets like the Texas Tribune and writing op-eds that appear in the Houston Chronicle. Over the last several months, we’ve added a new way for you to stay up to date with all the latest developments surrounding our movement: The C3 News Brief. The C3 News Brief is published once every two weeks and is delivered straight to your email inbox. In it, you'll find all the latest news about C3, information on upcoming events, recognition of C3 accredited employers, links to our training database, and updated facts about the Construction Career Collaborative.
January 19, 2017
