POMPANO BEACH, Fla. /Florida Newswire/ — The national labor shortage is hitting the construction industry with an especially hard punch, but South Florida’s Current Builders (http://www.currentbuilders.com/) has developed a transformative program to help alleviate the crisis. CB University is a free, bilingual, in-house program that educates motivated workers who want to advance to the next level. The general contractor recently announced the addition of an NCCER Master Trainer and four NCCER Certified Teachers to their in-house program.
“There is much talk in the news of what has led to the construction shortage, including the demise of the unions, immigration issues, negative perception among students, but we need more focus on what can be done to prepare ambitious workers in their quest to succeed,” said Chip Reid, Current Builders’ CEO. “We are very proud of the accomplishments of CB University and our recent accreditations with the NCCER.”
David Monahan, Brian McGeough, David Freeman and Leonicio Ulloa all received their NCCER Certified Teachers certificates, while CBU Director Eric Kennedy received his Master Trainer certificate.
With estimates of 300,000 unfilled jobs and percentages approaching 80% of companies saying their growth has been hampered by the shortage, the construction industry has been searching for ways to attract new workers and create loyal employees. Current Builders has utilized many successful programs including the ACE Mentorship program for high school students, internships and scholarships through the University of Florida’s Rinker School of Construction Management and the active recruitment of women into the industry.
While this multi-pronged approach has been effective, the most progressive has been the success of CB University, which was launched about ten years ago and now has 150 employees taking classes each year with an 80% completion rate.
“We offer this program to any employee who wants to ascend to the next level. It is commitment on both our parts, but the rewards are tremendous,” continued Reid.
Current Builders has many success stories, but the management team and teachers are particularly proud of how the program is supporting new immigrants and their desire to ascend from laborers into a management level positions.
“It takes tremendous dedication to work all day and then take classes,” said Reid. “But watching hourly workers move up through the organizational structure to achieve high-paying superintendent salaries, is a very gratifying experience.”
Current Builders invests an average of .125% of their annual revenues towards training, as this the recommended model. The company’s commitment to this program is further exemplified by the in-house employees who completed the rigorous NCCER training to achieve their certificates in order to provide the best possible curriculum for their students.
About NCCER:
NCCER is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) education foundation created in 1996 as The National Center for Construction Education and Research. It was developed with the support of more than 125 construction CEOs and various association and academic leaders who united to revolutionize training for the construction industry. Sharing the common goal of developing a safe and productive workforce, these companies created a standardized training and credentialing program for the industry. This progressive program has evolved into curricula for more than 70 craft areas and a complete series of more than 70 assessments offered in over 4,000 NCCER-accredited training and assessment locations across the United State
About Current Builders:
Current Builders is an award-winning general contractor, established in 1972 with average annual revenues of $200 million. Current Builders specializes in multi-family residential projects, healthcare facilities, office/warehouse buildings, commercial distribution facilities, parking garages, interior build-outs, interior and exterior renovations, all included as turnkey projects inclusive of the construction of the buildings and related site work. Learn more: http://www.currentbuilders.com/.
News Source: Current Builders
