Program aims at training people, filling job needs
Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Wallace Bromberg
In a classroom turned board room on the eastern edge of Birmingham, a dozen or so construction-industry executives from around the state gathered on a Tuesday morning to discuss their future.
It is a future that looks a bit bleak for them right now, but bright for prospective employees — if they only knew, understood and embraced what could lie ahead for them.
That’s the mission of Construction Education Foundation of Alabama — to not only raise awareness about rewarding careers in fields like electrical, HVAC, carpentry, plumbing, pipefitting and welding, but to provide the training to get students into those careers.
It was with that idea in mind that Associated Builders and Contractors of Alabama, Alabama Associated General Contractors and the Alabama Concrete Industries Association, the state’s three largest construction trade organizations, came together to found CEFA to offer nationally certified education opportunities to reverse the trend of a dwindling trained workforce.
It is a chronic problem faced by companies across Alabama, including that of CEFA board Chairman John Garrison, president and CEO of Pell City-based Garrison Steel. He knows the problem firsthand. He sees it every day in a pool of applicants — or lack of them — at his own company.
The CEFA board of directors gathered around him on this particular day to share his concern. They see it as a growing threat to the future of their industries, and they are finding ways to turn this harmful trend around.
They see CEFA as a viable bridge between a potential workforce and a good-paying career through intensive training, using nationally accredited curriculum. “When a student gets out of it, he knows what he’s doing,” Garrison said. The plus is that the certification is mobile. He can take that certification earned in Alabama and put it to work for him in the marketplace anywhere in the country.
Byron McCain, president of CEFA, explained that for too long, education in Alabama had a mantra: “College, college, college. Now, they’re saying college and careers.”
He uses charts and graphs to illustrate, but the net result over decades has been a workforce gap where too many students headed down a path toward a four-year college when the majority of jobs simply require advanced training.
In 1950, 20 percent of the jobs required a four-year degree. In 2000, a four-year degree requirement was still at 20 percent. In that same time frame, though, the need for skilled labor more than tripled from 20 percent to 65 percent.
With odds like those, it should be easy to envision that the quickest way to a $50,000 salary just might run through CEFA.
Recognizing the needs and the rewards, public education is beginning to move in the same direction. In its Plan 2020, the focus is “Every Child a Graduate — Every Graduate Prepared for College/Work/Adulthood in the 21st Century.”
And McCain sees that as a good sign for the industries he represents. “There are unbelievable careers that don’t come with college debt,” McCain said. “It is critical we get to the counselors. We’re losing a lot of people at 18 starting down a college path. The industry isn’t as generational as it used to be.”
The aim is to help give people “meaningful employment,” said Garrison. Through its training program, CEFA can put them on the path to that goal with good-paying careers awaiting them when they finish. Scholarships are available, as is assistance with job placement. They can even go to work early if they have the potential. “If they have the right desire, if they’re the real deal and are serious about getting through the program,” Garrison said companies can go ahead and hire them while going through the program. They can earn their way toward a career.
For example, McCain said, “There are opportunities for a 50-year-old to get a job and train at the same time.” And companies are looking for young people out of high school in whom they can invest for the long term.
Twenty weeks of training are required before CEFA can refer them to a company. The full training is 58 weeks.
“We’re at 70 percent capacity,” said Evans Dunn of Dunn Construction, who does asphalt paving. “We’ve got to get demand there. We struggle to get good people.”
“It’s a struggle every day,” said John Payne of Brasfield & Gorrie. “We’re suffering a labor shortage.”
But a good wage rate and benefits equals opportunity, he said.
“Consistent growth allows us to invest in a kid,” added Allen McCain of Bright Future Electric.
And that’s why these industry leaders are coming together and getting involved in getting the message out about initiatives like Go Build Alabama and using CEFA as a site for craft and apprenticeship training.
They know the benefits. Journeyman electricians can earn between $42,000 and $72,000 annually. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning, HVAC, professionals in an entry-level apprentice or technician position start out at $10 to $12 per hour and advance with their skill sets. An experienced professional can earn more than $65,000 per year. A welder can make $40,000 to $60,000 a year with the right knowledge and experience.
Average annual wage for an experienced carpenter is more than $45,000. An experienced plumber can earn $47,750 plus.
The higher the training and experience, the higher the salary can go, which is a win-win for all involved, these leaders say. And they’re not the only ones. “When you get serious about supporting yourself and your family,” said student Chris Rodgers, “CEFA offers the fastest way I know to learn how to earn.”
