According to the Associated General Contractors of America, 86% of construction firms in the U.S. are having problems finding skilled workers, including carpenters, equipment operators, and laborers. Sundt Construction does not want to be one of them.
The Arizona-based firm opened its own training center for craft employees in response to the labor shortages in the industry. Sundt’s Center for Craft Excellence, in Phoenix, offers training across many specialties, including equipment operation, pipefitting, mechanics, industrial carpentry, welding, ironworking, and electrical.
“Finding experienced people has been difficult since the economy shrank. There were a lot of people who left the industry and haven’t returned,” Sundt Craft Training Manager Sean Ray said in a statement. “This facility isn’t just helping us train the next generation of craft workers, it’s allowing us to invest in our people and the skills they use every day on our jobs. It’s a winning situation for everyone: our customers, our craft workers and our company.”
The center can also administer the National Craft Assessment and Certification Program (NCACP), and guide employees to attain National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) Certified Plus status.
Related Stories
| Apr 9, 2013
FMI predicts 8% rise in construction put in place for 2013
FMI, the largest provider of management consulting and investment banking services to the engineering and construction industry released today its Q1-2013 Construction Outlook. The forecast for total construction-put-in-place for 2013 continues to show an increase of 8% over 2012 levels.
| Apr 8, 2013
Most daylight harvesting schemes fall short of performance goals, says study
Analysis of daylighting control systems in 20 office and public spaces shows that while the automatic daylighting harvesting schemes are helping to reduce lighting energy, most are not achieving optimal performance, according to a new study by the Energy Center of Wisconsin.
| Apr 6, 2013
First look: GlaxoSmithKline's double LEED Platinum office
GlaxoSmithKline and Liberty Property Trust/Synterra Partners transform the work environment with the opening of Five Crescent Drive
| Apr 5, 2013
‘Retainage Laws in the 50 States’ manual from ASA available for subcontractors
A reference manual published by the American Subcontractors Association, Retainage Law in the 50 States, is available for construction subcontractors to understand retainage laws across the U.S.
| Apr 5, 2013
Bangkok gets a leaning tower, that may topple
A seven-story apartment tower under construction in Bangkok has started to tilt and is on the verge of toppling.
| Apr 5, 2013
Snøhetta design creates groundbreaking high-tech library for NCSU
The new Hunt Library at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, incorporates advanced building features, including a five-story robotic bookBot automatic retrieval system that holds 2 million volumes in reduced space.
| Apr 5, 2013
'My BIM journey' – 6 lessons from a BIM/VDC expert
Gensler's Jared Krieger offers important tips and advice for managing complex BIM/VDC-driven projects.
| Apr 5, 2013
Commercial greenhouse will top new Whole Foods store in Brooklyn
Whole Foods and partner Gotham Greens will create a 20,000-sf greenhouse atop one of the retailer's Brooklyn supermarkets. Expected to open this fall, the facility will supply produce to nine Whole Foods stores in metro New York City.
| Apr 5, 2013
Projected cost for Apple's Campus 2 balloons to $5 billion
Campus 2, Apple Inc.'s proposed ring-shaped office facility in Cupertino, Calif., could cost $5 billion to build, according to a report by Bloomberg.
| Apr 5, 2013
Extreme LEGO: Wondrous micro city built out of 200,000 blocks
Master LEGO builder Mike Doyle unveils his latest creation, an out-of-this-world micro city that celebrates peaceful alien contact.