Scot Bennett, Construction Executive
The AEC industry, particularly construction, is suffering from a severe shortage of available staff. As companies struggle to fill salaried and skilled labor positions at all levels in the industry, those leaving the construction workforce are not being replaced at near the same rate.
The first pre-apprenticeship class for Cleveland Builds met Tuesday, July 13th with 31 participants. Shawn Gray, Jason Shank and Plumbers Local 55 are hosting the classes.
Cleveland Builds' co-chairs, Tim Linville and Dave Wondolowski and executive director, Keith Laschinger, were present to welcome participants to the class on its first night.
Glen Shumate, Executive Vice President, Construction Employers Association (CEA) and founder/executive director of Construction Assistance Association (CAA) is a 2021 ODOT Director's Award for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Advocacy.
CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OH - On June 4 Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish announced new initiatives aimed at training people for good paying jobs in the building trades, while focusing on minorities.
Sally Hoekstra, Construction Executive
The construction industry is evolving, and so is its workforce. Thirty years ago, women made up less than 10% of STEM graduates, a figure that now hovers around 30%. With the number of women earning degrees and pursuing careers in the fields of architecture, engineering and construction increasing every year, the industry is poised to tap into its largest and most diverse talent pool to date.
Alexa De La Parra Ramirez, Autodesk
In this day and age, we constantly hear about the need for diversity in business. While this is something that is frequently discussed as a corporate strategy, the reason why diversity is so important in life, the workforce and in particular, the construction industry, isn’t always explained.
By Lewis Rice
There’s a well-beaten path that many entrants into the world of construction have followed to become successful general contractors. Basically, it involves learning one trade as a novice, perfecting your skill, taking on side jobs while working for somebody else, and eventually making the jump to self-employed entrepreneur. The first office is often the kitchen table or a garage workbench. The initial “hire” is a bookkeeping spouse, and the first employee is a brother, cousin, or some variety of in-law.
Since 2017, The Latino Construction Program has enrolled about 150 people and moved 75 into the union jobs such as carpentry, electrical, plumbing, brick-laying and more.
The shortage of labor is a major problem for the construction and skilled trades industry. But, two organizations have come together in an attempt to create a solution.
Work NOW is a program created through a partnership between The Urban League of Greater Cleveland’s SOAR program and Construction Employers Association (CEA). It seeks to create a sustained workforce through employee and employer partnerships.
