A federally funded survey of registered apprenticeship sponsors found that they overwhelmingly “believe they are reaping a wide array of benefits from apprenticeship programs” and would recommend registered apprenticeship to others.

The U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (ETA) funded the Urban Institute Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population’s March 2009 report “The Benefits and Challenges of Registered Apprenticeship: The Sponsors’ Perspective.” The report is based on a survey of employers that was conducted in spring 2007, before the apprenticeship regulations were revised in fall 2008.

According to the nearly 1,000 people surveyed, benefits they receive as sponsors of registered apprenticeship programs include: adding to the productivity and high quality of services (70%), increased worker morale or pride (69%), fewer safety problems (68%) and meeting the demand for skilled workers (83%), among others.

When asked to list the costs and drawbacks of registered apprenticeship, the sponsors’ major concerns were the number of apprentices who drop out before attaining journeyworker status (24% of respondents called it a “significant problem" and another 31% labeled it a “minor problem”); and 25% said poaching by competitors after the apprentice is fully skilled is a “significant problem” with another 29% labeling it “minor.”

Many other issues that sponsors were asked about, including related instruction, experienced workers’ time, the amount of time it takes to train a worker through an apprenticeship program and management of the program, all were deemed “not a problem” by a majority of the survey respondents.

Other items of note in the survey:
• More than half (54%) of the respondents said their completion rate is at least 80%.
• Reasons given for non-completion are pretty much split between personal issues (36%), performance problems on the job or in the classroom (32%), and the apprentice earned a license in a licensed occupation and took another job before completing the apprenticeship (30%).
• Sponsors use a variety of recruitment methods, but the one deemed “effective” by 66% of respondents was referrals from current employees. Community colleges and technical schools were rated effective by 41% of respondents; 34% listed high schools as effective; and 35% said newspapers (compared to only 18% for the Internet).
• All but 3% said they would recommend registered apprenticeship to others with 88% “strongly” recommending and 11% recommending “with reservations.”
• Sponsors said they could use more help: finding and screening applicants (51%); finding related instruction (41%); faster registration of apprentices (36%); and simpler process for setting up a new program (37%).

A downloadable copy of the complete survey can be found on ETA’s research page.

As part of the survey, respondents were asked about their connection to the Workforce System and One-Stop Career Centers. Less than one-fifth said they have used a One-Stop Career Center to post apprenticeship openings. Only 16% said they have ever gotten applicants from a center and a mere 14% said they had ever been asked by a center to post apprenticeship openings.

As one of the steps it is taking to increase those percentages, the ETA’s Workforce3 One, an online, interactive communication and learning platform, recently created a Community of Practice (CoP) web site to help people involved with registered apprentices connect and share challenges and solutions. Some areas around which the community offers avenues of discussion:
• The registered apprenticeship model - learn best practices and new models around leveraging the Workforce Investment Act (WIA);
• WIA programs and One-Stop Career Centers - learn how to integrate registered apprenticeship;
• Educators - learn how registered apprenticeship can support your students as a path to career success;
• Employers - promote your program and recruit new apprentices;
• Apprentices - share your experiences with your peers and others; and
• Green jobs and the greening of apprenticeship – What does it mean for future collaborations?

Applications are now being accepted for the Construction Users Roundtable’s 2009 Construction Industry Workforce Development Awards.

The awards were developed seven years ago to give significant national recognition for extraordinary, exemplary, and innovative training and education programs that encourage individuals to pursue a career in the construction industry and/or enhance an individual’s construction skills.

The deadline for applications is August 1, 2009.

Last year the AGC of Alaska was recognized for its partnership in the Alaska Construction Academy. Also recognized in 2008 was the ACE Mentor program.

Recipients of the Workforce Development Awards will be recognized at an awards ceremony to take place at the CURT National Conference, to be held November 16-18, in Orlando, Florida.

For more information and the application, please go to the CURT website.

Registration is now open for the next AGC Safety & Health Conference to be held on July 22-24, 2009, in Washington, D.C.  The hotel cut-off date is June 22, 2009.

Join more than 150 industry professionals and participate in the development of regulatory and legislative activity on both a national and local level, assist in the development and creation of new safety training programs and products and hear the latest initiatives from OSHA and other industry experts. Click here to learn more.

Focus Four Hazards Safety Training is coming to the D.C. metro area on Monday, July 20  and Tuesday, July 21, 2009.

For the seventh year in a row, AGC has partnered with OSHA to offer FREE Susan Harwood Grant training seminars! The Focus Four Hazards in Construction covers falls, electrocutions, struck-bys and caught-betweens, which account for the greatest number of fatalities in the construction industry. These free training seminars are being held at two metro-accessible locations!

Monday , July 20
Register here
This program will be held at:
AGC of America
2300 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22201
(Court House - Orange Line) 

Tuesday, July 21
Register here
This program will be held at:
Hyatt Regency
Washington, Capitol Hill
400 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
(Union Station - Red Line)

Topics that will be covered:
     • Focus Four Hazard statistics;
     • OSHA standards and industry best practices to abate Focus Four Hazards;
     • How to identify locations of Focus Four Hazards;
     • Selection and criteria of Focus Four Hazards safety systems and equipment; and
     • Training requirements for Focus Four Hazards.

The FREE Focus Four Hazards training seminar will assist you in lowering your risk of falls and injuries on the job site. Click here to register or for additional details, contact Raj Vohra at vohrar@agc.org or call (703) 837-5409.

AGC brings programs to you for early-career superintendents and project managers, and those looking to get involved with green construction and building information modeling.

AGC works with leading industry experts and practitioners to develop its national curricula. Currently, AGC has four primary curricula, with several others in development. Developed to be hosted locally across the country, course material includes an Instructor’s Guide and Participant’s Manual to ensure participants across the country receive the same quality program.

AGC’s nationally developed curricula include:
• The Supervisory Training Program (STP)—designed for early-career superintendents and those looking to move into such a role, STP contains ten units of topics relevant to superintendents and two overview units geared toward building or heavy/highway construction supervisors. Each unit in this program is designed for 25 hours of instruction. You can learn more at www.agc.org/STP.

• Building to LEED®-NC: Overview and the Impact on Construction Practices—designed specifically for construction professionals, this course focuses on the contractor's role in a LEED project, translating the LEED ratings system and organizing credits based on the impact they will have on construction. This course is designed for one full day of instruction and must be taught by someone who is a LEED AP. You can learn more at www.agc.org/Green.

• The Project Manager Development Program (PMDP)—designed for early-career project managers and those looking to move into such a role, the five courses in this program focus on the project manager’s role in any type of construction. Each module of this program is designed for 16 hours of instruction. You can learn more at www.agc.org/PMDP.

• The Building Information Modeling (BIM) Education Program—designed specifically for construction professionals, this series will lead contractors through the process of learning about, understanding, adopting and effectively using BIM. BIM 101, the first course in the series, provides an overview of what BIM is, why and how to use it. Introduction to BIM Technology, the next course to be released, will introduce users to the features of BIM tools from multiple platforms.  You can learn more at www.agc.org/BIMEP.

Locate an AGC Chapter to find courses scheduled near you or contact Amy Fields or Stephanie Mullins at curriculum@agc.org for more information on hosting training.

Instructor’s Guide and Participant Manuals as reference guides for each course are available for purchase through the AGC Bookstore at http://www.agc.org/Bookstore or by calling 1-800-242-1767.

U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on June 24 announced five grant competitions, totaling $500 million, to fund projects that prepare workers for “green” jobs in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.

Nongovernmental organizations (such as AGC Chapters and Chapter-sponsored educational foundations) are eligible to apply for three of the five competitions: Green Capacity Building Grants, Energy Training Partnership Grants and Pathways Out of Poverty Grants. The fourth and fifth grant competitions — the State Energy Sector Partnership and Training Grants and the State Labor Market Information Improvement Grants – will accept applications only from state Workforce Investment Boards.

All five grant competitions are funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. DOL is encouraging applicants to align their work “to other Recovery Act funded projects that create jobs or impact the skill requirements of existing jobs.”

AGC of America encourages any Chapter interested in applying for one of the grants to develop the broadest possible strategic partnership base, including community and faith-based organizations, labor-management organizations, educational organizations, employer organizations and the public work force system.

According to guidance DOL issued in early June, these grants must follow the Workforce Investment Act, as amended to incorporate the Green Jobs Act of 2007, which clearly states that all eligible partnerships must include labor-management organizations. AGC is supporting legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to amend the Green Jobs Act to allow all for the inclusion of labor-management organizations without mandating their inclusion.

All grant applicants should focus on the energy-efficient sector of construction and show how they will use the grant funds to provide training to at least one of the following: unemployed workers, lower-skilled workers, high school dropouts, ex-offenders and/or displaced auto workers.

DOL is restricting lead applicants to one grant application each. However, the lead applicant for one competition is not prohibited from participating as a partner in an application submitted for a different competition.

The three DOL grant competitions open to nongovernmental agencies:

• Green Capacity Building Grants: $5 million to provide training for entry-level positions leading to career pathways and/or additional training in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries. DOL expects to award between 50 and 100 grants ranging from $50,000 to $100,000. Closing date: August 5, 2009. Applications will be accepted only from organizations that have received DOL grants through one of the following programs:
      o Advancing Registered Apprenticeship into the 21st Century: Collaborating for Success;
      o Farmworker Jobs Program;
      o Indian and Native American Program;
      o Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative;
      o Senior Community Service Employment Program;
      o Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Occupations;
      o YouthBuild; and
      o Young Offender Grants.

DOL will post a pre-recorded Webinar online about this competition at 3 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 10, 2009. The Webinar will be available continuously after that point.

• Energy Training Partnership Grants: $100 million for projects that provide training and placement services in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries for workers impacted by national energy and environmental policy, individuals in need of updated training related to the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries and unemployed workers. The Department expects to award 20-30 grants ranging from approximately $2 million to $5 million each. One-quarter of the $100 million is expected to be directed to applicants serving communities impacted by automotive-related restructuring. DOL will select applicants from two pools: (1) national labor-management organizations with local networks; and (2) statewide or local nonprofit partnerships that have formed “a joint partnership of labor organizations, employers or industry organizations, Workforce Investment Boards and One Stop Career Centers.” Closing date: September 4, 2009.

DOL will hold a Webinar for prospective applicants from 2-3:30 p.m. EDT on Monday, July 13, 2009. The Webinar will be recorded and posted no later than 3 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 17, 2009.

• Pathways Out of Poverty Grants: $150 million for projects that provide training and placement services to provide pathways into employment within the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries for unemployed individuals, high school dropouts, individuals with a criminal record and disadvantaged individuals. DOL will select applicants from two pools: (1) national nonprofit entities with networks of local affiliates, coalition members, or other established partners; and (2) local entities. A “national nonprofit entity” is described as a nonprofit that delivers services through networks of local affiliates, coalition members or other established partners in at least four states. A “local entity” can be a public organization, such as a community college, or private nonprofit organizations whose service area is a limited to geographic region that is less than a whole state, such as a neighborhood, city, county, portion of a state or portion of several states (such as Kansas City).

Required partners for both local and national entities must include at least one entity from each of the following five categories:
      o Nonprofit organizations, such as community or faith-based organizations that have direct access to the
         targeted populations;
      o Public workforce investment system, such as a local Workforce Investment Boards;
      o Education and training community;
      o Public and private employers and industry-related organizations; and
      o Labor organizations, including, but not limited to, labor unions and labor-management organizations.

ETA intends to fund grants ranging from approximately $3 million to $8 million for national entities, and grants ranging from approximately $2 million to $4 million for local entities. Closing date: September 29, 2009.

DOL will hold a Webinar for prospective applicants from 2-3:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, July 14, 2009. The Webinar will be recorded and posted no later than 3 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 17, 2009.

The full rules, requirements and eligibility guidelines for each of the grant competitions is available online.

Upcoming ConsensusDOCS Webinar – Federal Subcontracting
Are You Ready to Contract for Federal Projects?

When: July 9, 2009  1:00 - 2:00 pm ET

Federal contracting isn’t easy and neither are the contracts.  The ConsensusDOCS 752 is the first and only standard subcontract agreement for federal construction projects that is compliant with the most recent contracting requirements and practices found in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).  The new ConsensusDOCS 752 will be used as a guide to help explain:
      • Ethics compliance;
      • Federal Prompt Pay Act; and
      • FAR flow-down provisions.

This program is designed for those new to federal contracting or those who need a clearer understanding on federal contracting contracts. 

AGC members pay just $99 ($229 retail price).  Learn more through the website or contact Megan McGarvey with questions mcgarveym@agc.org or 703-837-5369.

Tight on money? The AGC Bookstore has dropped the price for the HAZWOPER 40-Hour Course, HAZWOPER 24-Hour Course and HAZWOPER 8-Hour Annual Refresher. Tight on time? Now is your opportunity to save time by taking these courses online.

Online Institue - HAZWOPER 40-Hour Course
        New Low Price! $375
This course is specifically designed for workers who are involved in clean-up operations, voluntary clean-up operations, emergency response operations, and storage, disposal, or treatment of hazardous substances or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. Topics include protection against hazardous chemicals, elimination of hazardous chemicals, safety of workers and the environment, OSHA regulations. This course covers topics included in 29 CFR 1910.120. Note: The Online 40-Hour HAZWOPER training course meets the requirements set by the 29 CFR Part 1910.120 (e)(3)(i) for the 40-hours of instruction offsite training requirements, an additional three days actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained, experienced supervisor.

Online Institue - HAZWOPER 24-Hour Course
        New Low Price! $225
This course covers broad issues pertaining to the hazard recognition at work sites. OSHA has developed the HAZWOPER program to protect the workers working at hazardous sites and devised extensive regulations to ensure their safety and health. This course, while identifying different types of hazards, also suggests possible precautions and protective measures to reduce or eliminate hazards at the work place.

Online Institue - HAZWOPER 8-Hour Annual Refresher
        New Low Price! $49
This course meets the requirements in OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 for eight hours of annual refresher training for workers at hazardous waste sites. This course is designed for general site workers who remove hazardous waste or who are exposed or potentially exposed to hazardous substances or health hazards. Topics include HAZWOPER regulations, safety and health plans, hazardous chemicals, safety hazards, air monitoring, medical surveillance, site control, decontamination, personal protective equipment, and respiratory equipment. Course Prerequisite: The 24 or 40 hour HAZWOPER course must be completed before taking the 8 hour refresher course.

Any questions can be directed to Meri Woods at woodsm@agc.org.

The challenging economy is the subject of conversation anytime construction executives get together these days. Most businesses are down, and everyone has hunkered down into survival mode until the second half of 2009.  One area, interestingly, that is seeing growth is the CEO Performance Roundtable Program. This program actually picking up steam as the recession lengthens.

According to a Reuters article from Tuesday, March 10, 2009, benchmarking or peer groups are, “…picking up steam as the recession worsens. Around the county, the heads of small to midsize firms are increasingly turning to each other for the support and confidence needed to keep a stiff upper lip as the mood at their companies darkens.” The goal of these performance or benchmarking groups is to serve as a makeshift board of advisors for each other, vetting a host of business problems ranging from succession issues to changes in market strategy to cost-cutting measures to delicate personnel decisions and more.

The value of a roundtable group in a recession can be tremendous. According to Charlie Harbutt of Garbutt Construction in Dublin, Georgia, “The tools our facilitator has delivered to us have been very helpful. He helped us analyze our general and administrative costs. Instead of doing low impact cost savings, items like cutting our coffee and soft drinks, he’s helped us drill down on high impact items to see exactly where our money is being spent. That’s had a good payoff.”

Mike Zingg of Design Structures will offices in Wisconsin and Oregon had this to say: “When we hosted this past fall the focus was an in-depth analysis of our financial and organizational health. We came away with a wealth of ideas on ways to improve. Since that meeting, we have cut overhead 50%, we have eliminated some people who didn’t fit our business plan, we have revisited our approach to market on the west coast, and we went from three partners to two. These positive changes were a direct result of feedback from our peers. We were able to look at our numbers and compare them to those of our industry and see exactly where we were doing well or not so well. This opportunity to ‘look behind the curtains’ of similar sized companies is unique to the CEO Performance Roundtable.”

If you as an executive, are looking for ways to become leaner and more efficient, the CEO Performance Roundtable Programs may be just the solution. For more information, contact Jack Ford at 877-326-2493, extension 231, or email at roundtables@familybusinessinstitute.com, or contact Chris Monek, AGC Senior Executive Director, at 703-837-5323, or email at monekc@agc.org.

Gain insight into the green incentives and sustainability provisions contained in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Understand the details of these provisions as well as the potential impact on construction project financing and lending standards. Information will be provided on the current credit and lending issues as well as the impact on financing contained in portions of the ARRA, specifically green incentives. Andy Lutz is a Managing Consultant in the Denver, CO office of Navigant Consulting, will explore ARRA its impact on the construction market on June 3 from 1:30 – 3:30 pm EDT. Register today.

For more information, please contact Carrie Harper at harperc@agc.org.