AGC is currently accepting applications for the 2011 Education Excellence Awards, which recognize the most innovative and collaborative training and development programs.

AGC accepts both self- and third-party nominations for these awards, which are presented annually at the fall Training & Development Conference. AGC general and specialty contractor members in good standing, AGC Chapters, and individuals employed by these organizations are eligible to apply.

A brochure about the awards and downloadable PDF application forms are available online. The deadline for all submissions is April 4, 2011.

Winners receive a crystal award, presented at the annual fall Training, Education & Development Conference, and are asked to give a presentation at the conference about their winning program. Presentations from past winners also are available online.

For more information, contact Liz Elvin at elvinl@agc.org.

Monday begins Congress' lame duck session - the last chance for Democrats to push climate change, card check and immigration.

The week will include leadership elections in the House and Senate, and Congress will reassemble after Thanksgiving to finish the session. Read more in AGC's Construction Legislative Week in Review.

The deadline to apply for AGC Education and Research Foundation scholarships and awards is November 15.  More than 100 scholarships are awarded each year to undergraduate and graduate students, in addition to several awards programs that recognize outstanding students and educators.

Click here to watch AGC Foundation director Melinda Patrician explain the details of the scholarship and awards programs. (more…)

Even as the number of people working in construction increased by 5,000 between September and October 2010, the industry's unemployment rate rose to 17.3 percent, according to AGC's analysis of federal employment figures released Friday.

Temporary government investments boosted commercial construction employment, offsetting further job losses in residential construction, AGC noted, but the industry's unemployment rate is still nearly double the unadjusted national rate of nine percent.

Read the press release here.

The news was covered by Grand Rapids Press, Alaska Business Monthly and St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The voting is over, but the counting continues.  Republicans have secured a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and there is a smaller majority of Democrats in the U.S. Senate.

This year's wave election may have also washed out the old saying that "all politics is local." The local voters were driven by national issues like health care and spending, and were fueled by national media that focused on party conflict.

Read more here.

AGC's Chief Executive Officer Steve Sandherr will discuss the results and impact of the midterm election during a free, members-only post-election conference call on November 9.

The call will include a look at the threats and opportunities for the construction industry in the upcoming lame duck session and in the next Congress.

Free Members-Only Post-Election Conference Call
November 9
12:30-1:30 PM Eastern

To obtain call-in information, please RSVP to youngj@agc.org.

One week after AGC's Steve Sandherr sat down with him, Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard made a compelling case for why conservatives should support highway construction and a $.10 to $.15 increase in the gas tax.

Read the article here.