SkillsUSA WorldSkills USA Team Heads to International Competition

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SkillsUSA, the organization that represents the United States in the WorldSkills Competition, is sending 22 career and technical education competitors to Kazan, Russia, to compete in 20 skill categories during the 45th biennial event Aug. 22-27. The WorldSkills Competition showcases trade skills such as construction and building technology, manufacturing and engineering and transportation and logistics. SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. Its selected team members, with an average age of 19, are masters in their craft. Their dedication to training and perfecting their skills will be on display … Read more

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Construction Employment Data Demonstrates Need for New Career, Technical Educational Programs

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Forty-two states added construction jobs between June 2018 and June 2019, while construction employment increased in 30 states from May to June, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data released recently. Association officials said the new construction employment data demonstrates the need for new federal investments in career and technical education programs, along with immigration reform. “Construction demand remains robust across most states, and contractors continue to add workers when they can find them,” stated chief economist Ken Simonson. “But contractors are struggling to find all the workers they need in many … Read more

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Construction Reality Show Seeks to Close Income Gap

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The Percy Jobs & Careers Center launched Master Craftsmen, an online reality show, featuring craftsmen who use their skills and specialized knowledge to build today’s modern infrastructure. The show is designed to reestablish the skilled trades as an opportunity to move up the income ladder and comes at a time when skills are responsible for the growing disparity in income. Those with skills earn a lot and those without, according to some estimates, earn in real dollars what an unskilled worker did in 1973. “Globalization and technology have fostered high levels of income inequality and the unskilled worker has suffered most,” … Read more

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Construction Jobs Increase by 21K in June, 224K during Past Year as Sector Unemployment Rate Decreases to 4%

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Construction employment increased by 21,000 jobs in June and by 224,000, or 3.2%, over the past 12 months, while the number of unemployed jobseekers with construction experience fell, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that firms continue to increase pay as they work to attract new hires from an ever-tighter labor market. “Construction firms continue to go to great lengths to recruit and retain workers during one of the tightest labor markets many of them have ever experienced,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s CEO. “Making matters worse, … Read more

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Build Your Future Florida to Expand Qualified Construction Workforce

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Recognizing the need to address the shortage of skilled craft professionals in Florida, the Construction Workforce Taskforce partnered with Build Your Future to establish Build Your Future Florida. With a wide range of information to help people interested in pursuing a career in the construction industry, Build Your Future Florida aims to provide a collaboration between construction associations, employers and government to satisfy the increased demand in skilled construction workers by attracting interested applicants. Build Your Future Florida’s goal is to provide a platform for Florida residents to learn about a career in the construction industry, find necessary training centers, … Read more

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