Talk to contractors in just about any town in the country, and the topic of labor shortages inevitably comes up. Many contractors see the problem as being chronic with no end in sight, at least while the economy remains strong. But there are companies that are trying to do something about it, with an eye toward cultivating the next generation of plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and other construction laborers.
Earlier this month Lowe’s Cos., the giant home-improvement retailer, teamed with more than 60 partners to introduce Generation T, an effort to shift negative or indifferent perceptions about the trades among students and their parents by demonstrating mobility and career opportunities that skilled trades offer.
Lowe’s and SkillsUSA hosted the first-ever Generation T Bunk Build at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif. This regional community service project provided 300 students enrolled in SkillsUSA’s carpentry program the chance to work with skilled carpenters to build 100 bunk beds for the nonprofit Sleep in Heavenly Place.
Last summer, Turner Construction’s Nashville office, in partnership with the Rutherford County (Tenn.) Chamber of Commerce, conducted a Teacher Externship Program, an immersive two-week course that gives local middle-school teachers exposure to the ins and outs of the construction industry, so they can share their experiences with their students.
This is the second year this program has been offered. The first year draw five teachers, and the second 20 participants, according to Paul Lawson, Project Executive of Turner Nashville.
Lawson—who chairs the Chamber’s Rutherford Works Construction Council and is a member of its Executive Workforce Council—says that the Teacher Externship Program is part of a larger effort by the Chamber and county to expand the market’s labor force.
The two-week program gave the teachers an inside look at how a construction company works. They spent time at Turner’s office with estimators and area managers. The teachers also went into the field at one of Turner’s local active job sites: a $48 million, 95,623-sf expansion of the St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro, Tenn., which is scheduled for completion next April. (Gresham Smith is the architect and engineer on this project.)
Lawson says the teachers “shadowed” project managers, two engineers, two supervisors, and the project’s safety manager.
Turner Nashville intends to offer this program next summer, and Lawson would like to expand the course beyond two weeks, “which is pretty quick” for giving teachers with no previous construction knowledge or hands-on understanding about what’s involved in building a building.
The program, he says, “has helped to open their eyes to what construction really is, and to dispel misconceptions about construction work,” says Lawson. “A teacher can have an impact on, what, 60 students a year.”
For teacher David Duez, the program was a revelation that he shared with his eighth-grade Career Explorations class through a series of lessons. “The kids are very interested in it,” he says. “They are young, but it doesn’t hurt to throw as much as we can at them, and if something sticks, great.”
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Feb 12, 2015
New Appraisal Institute form aids in analysis of green commercial building features
The Institute’s Commercial Green and Energy Efficient Addendum offers a communication tool that lenders can use as part of the scope of work.
Office Buildings | Feb 12, 2015
Is Houston headed for an office glut?
More than 13 million sf could be completed this year, adding to this metro’s double-digit vacancy woes.
Modular Building | Feb 12, 2015
New shipping container complex begins construction in Albuquerque
The Green Jeans Farmery already has a hydroponic farm component courtesy of owner and entrepreneur Roy Solomon.
Transit Facilities | Feb 12, 2015
Gensler proposes network of cycle highways in London’s unused underground
Unused tube lines would host pedestrian paths, cycle routes, cultural spaces, and retail outlets.
Healthcare Facilities | Feb 11, 2015
Primer: Using 'parallel estimating' to pinpoint costs on healthcare construction projects
As pressure increases to understand capital cost prior to the first spade touching dirt, more healthcare owners are turning to advanced estimating processes, like parallel estimating, to improve understanding of exposure, writes CBRE Healthcare's Andrew Sumner.
Transportation & Parking Facilities | Feb 11, 2015
11 of the nation’s best ‘Complete Streets’ policies of 2014
Austin, Texas, and Troy, N.Y., are among the cities with the strongest safe streets policies, according to a new report.
Sponsored | Roofing | Feb 11, 2015
New school blends with local architecture using Petersen metal roof
Perkins Eastman in Stamford, Conn., designed the school to emphasize and integrate the International Baccalaureate curriculum throughout.
Mixed-Use | Feb 11, 2015
Developer plans to turn Eero Saarinen's Bell Labs HQ into New Urbanist town center
Designed by Eero Saarinen in the late 1950s, the two-million-sf, steel-and-glass building was one of the best-funded and successful corporate research laboratories in the world.
BIM and Information Technology | Feb 10, 2015
Google's 3D scanning camera leaves the lab
Google is said to be partnering with LG to create a version of the technology for public release sometime this year.
Steel Buildings | Feb 10, 2015
Korean researchers discover 'super steel'
The new alloy makes steel as strong as titanium.