Perspective

Clearing a Path to Training for Careers in Construction

Today, more than 6,000 training and assessment locations are accredited through the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). More technical schools and community colleges join that group every year, and their numbers must increase if our country is to grow and advance our construction industry workforce.

The path to careers in the United States in the last 50-60 years has been structured around proceeding from high school to college. But today, only about a third of our jobs require a college degree. Construction is one of those markets. That’s not to say people don’t need training. But the route to get that training is often unclear to students and their parents, and so they default to heading off to college.

Meanwhile, industry demand for credentialed craft workers is off the charts. Educators serious about meeting the needs of the market have to shift their curriculum to programs that turn out students with the right skills. The resources available through NCCER accreditation allows community colleges and technical schools to prepare potential craft professionals for the career opportunities available in construction. Pointing the way

Defining a structured career path through technical training, apprenticeship, project management and supervision is a must for construction to solve its workforce shortage. A key element in doing so successfully means partnering with our education system. As an NCCER accredited training sponsor, SEAA has decided to expand its relationship with technical and community colleges in order to bring NCCER accredited testing for craft professions to more students. This allows colleges to become members of SEAA, giving them access to the SEAA/NCCER Ironworker Craft Panel Discussion: Workforce Development is a Team Effort Friday, April 3, 2020 at 10:45 am In today’s market, successful workforce development must take on the roles of recruiting, training, retaining, and often cross-training employees. Doing so requires that employers and industry understand the needs of education and vice versa. This panel discussion, moderated by Tracy Bennett, SEAA’s Managing Editor of Connector and marketing consultant, includes experts representing technical education, craft training, curriculum development, and apprenticeship. Panelists Richard Gordon, Executive Director of CTE, and Chadwick Vail, Work-Based Learning Partnerships, Charleston County School District Tim Eldridge, President, Educational Services Unlimited, and SEAA’s Craft Training and Assessment Administrator John Garrison, Founder Ironworker Skills Institute, and former President of Garrison Steel Nick Morgan, President, Adaptive Construction Solutions

Tom Underhill is the Executive Director of the Steel Erectors Association of America. Contact him at tomunderhill@seaa.net. Training program, and other NCCER craft curriculum and assessments.

In April, one of the education sessions at SEAA’s 48th Annual Convention & Trade Show in Charleston, S.C., is a panel discussion that brings industry and educators together. Experts representing technical education, craft training, curriculum development, and apprenticeship will share ideas on how these two groups can work together to facilitate individuals along a career path to construction. In addition, SEAA will offer one-day complimentary registration for CTE professionals to attend, in hopes of expanding the dialog. For information, contact the SEAA office.

There are few other comparable options to NCCER’s standardized construction and maintenance curricula, which also includes assessments and portable credentials. Unions offer training, but only to union members. Large corporations may have sophisticated training programs, but they train internally so they’re not out to share their programs with the industry.

Technical schools and community colleges accredited by NCCER can help meet regional employer needs by preparing students for success in a variety of craft trade jobs. One of the greatest benefits of having NCCER accreditation is a technical school’s ability to offer industry-recognized credentials. Employers and jobsite owners are increasingly seeking verification of skills.

Individuals who have earned NCCER credentials are listed in NCCER’s Registry System. Records are updated and maintained for craft professionals throughout their career in a secure database. As construction employers are required to make sure their employees are qualified for the work being performed, qualifications and certifications are documentation that demonstrates employee knowledge and abilities, especially when the certification is backed by an organization such as NCCER.

If a young person chooses a career as a craft professional, enrolling in an NCCER-accredited community college or technical school is the best route available toward credentialing right now. Students who complete this level of training know what is required to be successful for a long career in a craft trade, and are better prepared for these jobs. Simply put, the level of sophistication and broad reach that NCCER accreditation offers a local educational institution is unmatched. NCCER accreditation raises educational institutions to a higher standard of instruction which improves the quality of the craft trade workforce locally, regionally, and nationally. •