The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, heard from representatives of the construction industry in a hearing entitled “Closing the Skills Gap and Boosting U.S. Competitiveness” on March 29.
There are about 100,000 fewer people working in the construction industry today than in 2007, said Rory DeJohn, senior vice president, Turner Construction Company. Though the industry has been able to fill the gap with higher productivity aided by new technology, the trend is for the skills gap to worsen, he said.
“There is a shortage of education and training opportunities for the people our industry needs most,” DeJohn said. There are efforts to increase the diversity of the talent pipeline, he said. “The Future City Competition, the ACE Mentor Program and Turner’s own YouthForce 2020 program are just three programs that are addressing this,” DeJohn said.
Efforts to make the construction industry safer, support for industry trade groups, and getting the word out to high school guidance counselors about opportunities in the industry can also make a difference, DeJohn said. Another key opportunity: helping to transition military veterans to the construction industry.
Related Stories
| Feb 17, 2014
Channeling weather forecasts to building systems can yield significant energy savings
Using weather forecasts to predict outdoor temperature changes can lead to significant energy savings, exceeding 10%, researchers say.
| Feb 17, 2014
Lawmakers may take away control of Florida hospital project from the VA
The project is $100 million over budget and has missed its scheduled completion date.
| Feb 17, 2014
Business, labor at odds over toughening of OSHA silica dust rule
OSHA says the rules will protect workers and prevent 700 fatalities annually. Others say the rules would hurt businesses and jobs.
| Feb 17, 2014
Tulsa, Okla., mulls code change to require storm shelters in new schools
State and city officials are pushing for increased bonding capacity to pay for the storm shelters.
| Feb 13, 2014
Appraisal Institute issues guidelines on evaluating green property
The Appraisal Institute and the Institute for Market Transformation have issued guidelines for training property appraisers to evaluate green buildings.
| Feb 7, 2014
New LEED Dynamic Plaque system will measure building performance
The U.S. Green Building Council recently unveiled the LEED Dynamic Plaque, which is a new system designed for benchmarking and comparing post-occupancy building performance on a global scale.
| Feb 7, 2014
Los Angeles officials struggle to deal with needed seismic retrofits
Sixteen years ago, the Los Angeles City Council decided against requiring retrofits of existing buildings because of the projected cost and the threat of losing 20,000 apartment buildings.
| Feb 7, 2014
Los Angeles officials struggle to deal with needed seismic retrofits
Sixteen years ago, the Los Angeles City Council decided against requiring retrofits of existing buildings because of the projected cost and the threat of losing 20,000 apartment buildings.
| Feb 7, 2014
EPA, Freddie Mac collaborate on energy- and water-efficient apartments
Freddie Mac will gather data on energy and water use from property owners, and encourage lenders to spend on energy-efficient investments for multifamily housing.
| Feb 7, 2014
ASHRAE releases new refrigerant standards
The 2013 editions of ASHRAE’s major refrigerants-related standards, incorporating 41 new addenda, have been published.