The Associated General Contractors of America has announced a new program to recruit a more diverse pool of workers to the construction industry.
The effort is focused on vocational training that targets women and minority high school students around the U.S. The program will help pay for high school career and technical training for minority high school students.
The construction industry must find an effective way to recruit, hire, and develop a more diverse workforce, AGC CEO Stephen Sandherr said in published news reports. Otherwise, the industry will not be able to keep up with demand for workers.
A New York AGC leader said the program could counteract “institutional resistance” to vocational training in high school education. Critics said they were wary that minority students could be shunted into non-college tracks before they were ready to make decisions about their future.
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