Job training for construction workers Canoga Park CA

As the construction industry attempts to hire and keep qualified employees, more and more employers and organizations are providing training to keep employees up to date with the industry and the technologies. People who want to enter construction and employees are searching for training as one method to get into the field and advance their positions.

AGC of South Dakota, Highway-Heavy-Utilities chapter, provides a wide variety of training, from technical and hands-on training to supervisory training, to help people learn the skills they need to do their work and advance in their careers, said Jean Person, director of Education and Safety.

"Some of the courses I specifically develop and teach," she said. The courses are Exploring the Generations in the Workplace; Attitude Adjustment: On the Road to a Better Attitude; Conflict Resolution; Customer Service; and Stress Management.

Other courses AGC of South Dakota offers are safety courses: First Aid/Adult CPR and Defensive Driving. "Some courses help members meet federal requirements, such as the MSHA 8-hour Refresher training. In addition, AGC of America offers a series of supervisory courses that we make available for members."

Meeting contractors' needs

Person teaches some courses and AGC brings in speakers, as needed, for other courses. "Contractors ask for different types of training to fit their needs," said Person. "For example, we are checking into bringing in a hands-on hydraulics course and we did bring in a NCCCO crane certification course. Contractors already asked for heavy equipment training and want other skill-oriented training.

"They ask for a wide variety of safety training which is provided either through contract instructors or through our office. We also offer computer training through a computer training business and training for certification, such as the Erosion and Sediment Control courses." Person said she will develop any topic into a course if a majority of contractors feel the topic is important.

She takes a poll of the topics to determine the type of training contractors want and then coordinate the training, including contracting with instructors and arranging the logistics. Based on the needs of contractors, the instructors and training agencies set the curricula.

More valued employees

Many unions provide training to keep their members employable. In Minnesota, the Local 49 Operating Engineers offers training in a new facility in Hinckley, Minnesota. The training staff encourages members to enroll in classes because they will be more valuable to a contractor if they keep their training current, according to its brochure and training schedule. Union officials and training staff determine the schedule based on members' needs and current technology.

Some of the courses offered are Crane Operator Training, including different types of cranes; Equipment Classes, such as Excavator, Forklift Certification and Large Equipment; General Courses in CPR Training and GPS Training; and OSHA Safety & Health Training.

Local 49 takes its courses around Minnesota to give opportunities to all of its members. In addition, its Hinckley facility provides hands-on training in equipment operation after one day of classroom training. For example, when a member enrolls in Excavator training, the first day is spent in the classroom. The next four days are spent in the open field next to the training center where members operate excavators with help and directions from instructors who are knowledgeable and experienced in excavator operations.

Success and profitability

Private training organizations are in business to help employees keep their knowledge and skills up to date. Profit Builders Network, a Minneapolis-based training company, helps the building construction and maintenance industries achieve success and profitability. Ted Capistrant, owner and president, was a contractor who changed to a training career when he saw that contractors could not obtain the type of training they needed.

Capistrant uses his knowledge of construction to develop some courses and worked in conjunction with others who already provided specific courses to the industry. The business offers several ways to help contractors: training through instructors from multiple disciplines, peer coaching groups that meet monthly with facilitators to explore issues and opportunities, and advice from associations related to the field of interest.

Profit Builder Network has branched out to North Dakota and Wisconsin to offer classes that contractors want. Its most popular course is the Hands-on ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) Training which has increased its schedule.

Training will continue to play a major role in the construction industry as older workers retire and as fewer people enter the trades. It will help many contractors advance in both knowledge and their positions.