Help Wanted: A Sign of the Times in Construction Part 2
This is the second part in a series of articles about our two-state region’s labor shortage issues and workforce needs. Part 1 provided an overview of the problem through the eyes of local construction industry executives. In Part 2, these same executives and others talk about what their organizations are doing separately and together to prepare for the future today.
How are contractors and associations addressing the workforce shortage?
Jim Heard, executive vice president with M.B. Kahn Construction Co., Inc. in Greenville, South Carolina, says “If we are going to preserve and grow the construction industry, and advance our local construction communities, we must continue to reach out to and recruit young people. We have to incentivize the young to want to go into construction. We especially need to pique their interest in the trades. We need to emphasize and draw attention to the more attractive aspects of our industry. This year marks our company’s 90th year of continuous operation and we have been blessed with many multi-generational families which I believe to be a direct reflection of our company’s core values which have remained consistent regardless of the economy. When it comes to retention, for many, it’s not just about the money. When you create an emotional connection with your employees, they are more likely to invest and grow their careers with us.”
For Ryan Wathen, senior vice president of operations for Rodgers Builders based in Charlotte, the answer is clear: the construction community must unite as an industry and work together for the common good instead of various entities competing with each other to solve the problem. Wathan is adamant that the construction industry as a whole must do a better job of promoting the construction industry to high school students who may not have college aspirations. “Somewhere along the way, schools moved away from ‘Career Days,’ opting to focus only on the college track. We need to change the narrative with guidance counselors, principals and parents. There are many vocational opportunities in the construction industry with upward mobility, but the kids don’t know about them. Instead, they gravitate toward manufacturing and other industries where their opportunities for advancement are actually more limited,” he said. “Of course, we also want to introduce our industry to those who are college bound. We want students as young as middle school to understand that construction in its many forms is a noble profession and be aware of their options.”
Watson Electrical’s President & COO Tom Headlee said, “We need to get kids when they are in middle school and high school. We have to figure out how to bring more kids into the industry… too many people are going to retire. If people think labor is bad today, wait 10 years and you’ll wish it was 2017.”
“We are making some progress on the craft side,” Headlee continued. “We recently met with the Governor of North Carolina to talk about broader ‘career’ planning in high schools, not just college planning. After a four-year apprenticeship in our trade, a graduate can be a foreman making a decent salary — with no debt. There’s always still an option to go to college, often at the company’s expense. This is a viable career path for many and we need to get the word out.”
Headlee concluded by talking about a relatively untapped resource. “Thousands will be coming out of the military in coming years… and we see them as a perfect fit for our apprenticeships. This is a great resource for all of us.
Working Together: The Carolinas Construction Industry as a Whole
All of the concerns mentioned above are backed up by a recent survey conducted by the Carolinas Associated General Contractors (CAGC). “Recruiting and retaining workers is by far the number one issue facing the construction industry,” said Bill Stricker, CAGC’s vice president of operations and workforce development. “When we surveyed our members in January 2017, the whole workforce issue was the top item that showed up on the survey results.”
Based on these survey results, CAGC is in the process of developing a new strategic plan, said Stricker. “We are setting the direction for what we’ll be working on over the next few years. Jobs are available throughout at every level… upper management, middle management, back office, skilled craftsmen and field supervision. Our workforce issue stems from a combination of things… what’s happening in the two Carolinas mirrors the nation.”
Stricker laid out the basic issues at hand. “First, the construction industry has an image issue… impressions about what it’s all about… how much money you can make. Second, is the education issue. We need to get the facts out… that construction is a career, not just a job. Finally, there’s the training component. Construction offers many highly skilled jobs and we need to make sure we have the systems in place with companies, high schools and tech schools to provide the needed training at the skilled craft level. The college-level construction management programs are providing people to fill management positions.”
As far as trends, Stricker noted, ” We are seeing more and more women choosing construction as a career path. There are some training programs starting in prisons — in areas like welding and carpentry – for non-serious offenders. In North Carolina and South Carolina there are lots of military bases… many already have construction skill sets… at least the beginning of them.”
“If we are going to solve this problem, we must approach it from a number of different ways at a number of different levels. Contractors must get involved with the schools… all the way down to the middle school level. That’s when kids form impressions about what they are interested in doing. There is so much that people and companies can do… it’s mind-boggling. We just need to start the conversation.”
The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of the Carolinas is equally engaged in the workforce development issue. “A significant percentage of the construction industry’s skilled workforce is within 10 years of retirement. Members of the baby boomer generation are exiting in greater numbers than those entering the field,” said ABC’s Doug Carlson, president and CEO for the Carolinas.
Carlson went on to say, “With retirement on the horizon for so many experts, we have to find a way to attract the best and brightest to a sector that is viewed as something ‘less than glamorous’… Our industry must get creative in terms of how it positions itself to the younger generation. This includes minorities and women, who are underrepresented in today’s market. ABC Carolinas’ apprenticeship programs continue to turn out a talented group of highly trained and incredibly skilled craft professionals who represent the future of our great industry. Exciting, successful careers await those who welcome the opportunity to work with their hands and feel the sense of accomplishment one gets when building something.”
