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Applause erupted as spectators watched nearly 200 proud craft professionals march by and into the Floridian Ballroom at the Broward Convention center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, kick-starting ABC's 2015 National Craft Championships.
Reshaping the Construction Industry
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According to NCCER’s 2014 Craft Professional Wage Survey, wages for craft professionals continue to rise with the average annual salary being more than $50,000, excluding overtime, per diem, bonuses or other benefits. This is very encouraging news for anyone looking for career opportunities and alternative options to a four-year degree.NCCER began collecting this data in a quest to provide accurate information about the numerous construction career opportunities available to students, transitioning military and displaced workers. NCCER participates in numerous career fairs, presentations and panels representing the industry to a variety of organizations throughout the year including counselor and teacher associations. I personally have used this survey in presentations in which I have had educators ask if individuals can really make that kind of salary in the construction industry. As an industry, we have to realize that the majority of the public really has no idea about the amazing opportunities construction offers.
March 04, 2015
We hear that question a lot on the Internet these days, but my question refers to the picture of a class of students who attend the Career Pathways Institute in Grand Island, Nebraska finishing concrete for a townhouse project for Ryan Bartels Construction Company.The story chronicles the way that one of those students, Caleb Wardyn, a senior at Central Catholic high school found a part-time job with Bartels. It also talks about how Bartels, a staunch supporter of the CPI construction pathway, brought Caleb and 11 other students who are in the construction pathway at CPI to work on a project where they get “hands-on” experience while they are still in school.
March 03, 2015
Construction spending slips for month but rises year-over-year; input price cuts spreadEditor’s note: Construction Citizen is proud to partner with AGC America to bring you AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Data DIGest. Check back each week to get Ken's expert analysis of what's happening in our industry.Construction spending in January totaled $971 billion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, down 1.1% from the rate in December, but up 1.8% from January 2014, the Census Bureau reported today. Private residential spending in January climbed 0.6% from December but slid 3.4% from a year earlier, while private nonresidential spending fell 1.6% for the month but rose 4.8% year-over-year. Public construction spending decreased 2.6% from December but increased 5.1% from January 2014. The largest private nonresidential segment was power construction (including conventional and renewable power plus oil and gas fields and pipelines), which plunged 13% year-over-year.
March 03, 2015
Crane Institute of America has long focused on providing technical training for equipment operators and riggers, but as American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards have evolved, placing greater emphasis on the responsibilities of other crew members, Crane Institute has expanded its available training programs.“There is an increasing need for formal training for other crew members, such as Assembly/Disassembly Directors, Lift Directors, Master Riggers, and Site Supervisors,” said Jim Headley, President of Crane Institute.The newest training program to join Crane Institute’s Management Training Curriculum is the four-day Lift Director/Lift Planner course. The first open-enrollment classes will be held March 9-12 at Crane Institute’s headquarters in Sanford, Florida.
March 02, 2015
State funding for college campus construction projects has been described by many around Texas as “long overdue.” Leaders in the Texas legislature have agreed on the fundamentals in recent years but have been unable to come to a consensus on the details of a solution.
February 27, 2015
Earlier this month I had a chance to speak with Miguel Lopez, Roofing and Sheet Metal Superintendent at Chamberlin Roofing and Waterproofing. I wanted to learn about his craft and how he learned about the trade. Before he came to Chamberlin, Miguel worked installing track for a railroad company, but did not see a future for himself in that line of work. There were no opportunities for advancement, so when the work at the railroad company began to slow down, Miguel looked for something different. Miguel’s brother-in-law worked at Chamberlin and told Miguel about the opportunities there.
February 26, 2015
The following article is authored by the Co-Chairs of the National Construction Forum. A skilled craft shortage currently exists that will impact the extensive planned industrial expansions along the Gulf Coast.Why is it important to you as an owner?This shortage will impact cost, schedule and doability of your capital expansions.Even if you have no capital expansions planned, other planned capital expansions will draw people from your maintenance and small cap programs, as well as create significant wage rate increases.
February 25, 2015
Construction PPIs drop in January; Dodge starts rebound; ABI slips; housing is mixedEditor’s note: Construction Citizen is proud to partner with AGC America to bring you AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Data DIGest. Check back each week to get Ken's expert analysis of what's happening in our industry.The producer price index (PPI) for final demand decreased 0.7%, not seasonally adjusted (-0.8%, seasonally adjusted), in January and was flat over 12 months, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on Wednesday. BLS introduced numerous new indexes for inputs to construction and updated the "relative importance" weights for the inputs to each series (available to readers by request to simonsonk@agc.org). AGC posted an explanation and tables focusing on construction prices and costs.
February 24, 2015
Ever stop and wonder who builds those tall towers around the world? Sure, we hear about the engineers or the “starchitects” but we seldom hear about the skilled work force that makes the designs a reality for the rest of us. We have followed the series of articles by Tom Curwen in the LA Times about the new Wilshire Grand Center in downtown LA. Curwen has written an article that is particularly interesting to me, and I thought that you might learn something from it as well.
February 23, 2015
