Sundt Establishes Center for Craft Excellence Amid Industry Worker Shortage

TEMPE, Ariz. — Sundt Construction, Inc. has responded to the construction industry’s skilled labor shortage by opening its own training center for craft employees in Phoenix, Arizona. The Center for Craft Excellence is intended to give Sundt a leg up in the race to find, develop and retain quality craft workers in a competitive marketplace that is struggling to rebuild following the loss of more than 2 million jobs during the Great Recession.

“What’s unique about Sundt is that our training goes far beyond an apprentice program. We provide an opportunity for 100 percent of our craft to engage in training and development,” said Sundt Director of Talent Development Ken McKenzie. “Our training and development programs demonstrate our commitment to the industry and show that we care about helping young people develop skills that lead to rewarding careers.”

According to a recent survey from Associated General Contractors of America, 86 percent of construction firms nationwide are struggling to find enough craft workers, including carpenters, equipment operators and laborers. Sundt’s Center for Craft Excellence offers training in a number of disciplines, from equipment operator and mechanic to industrial carpentry, pipefitting, ironworking, electrical, welding and millwright. It also features programs to help Sundt’s craft employees attain both National Center for Construction Education and Research Certified Plus status and comprehensive standard craft training and development.

In addition to offering the standard craft training program, the center also is qualified to administer the National Craft Assessment and Certification Program, which provides a snapshot of an employee’s craft skills at any given time. Successful completion of the two-part assessment results in Sundt’s craft employees earning NCCER Certified Plus status, the highest level of craft training credentialing recognized throughout the industry and in the standardized NCCER training curriculum.