Apprenticeship & Workforce Development Blog Archives

Workforce Development Update:
Happy Careers in Construction Month!

School is back in session, and that means workforce development opportunities are in full swing. September featured the start of a new pre-apprenticeship class and a new proprietary curriculum, Safety 360. This enhanced program is designed to increase a student’s exposure to applied math and provide additional context to construction safety, taking the total program hours from 60 to 84. Graduates will receive a completion certificate from ABC Keystone and an OSHA 30-Hour Construction credential. The fall class is also piloting a new schedule that divides training into two-hour segments, three days a week.

October 13, 2021

A Message from the ABC Keystone Chair of the Board

Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste

As you arrived at your office this morning, read your emails, caught up on LinkedIn, spoke to your leaders and engaged in the many ways you stay in touch with the daily reality of your company, you likely got some unsettling news. A shipment of supplies or equipment has been delayed, a job has been shut down due to COVID-19, prices have been increased, or some bit of long-awaited news arrived, and now you need to make a decision and deal with the change.

October 5, 2021

Local Apprentices Earn Opportunity
to Compete in ABC National Craft Competition

Four ABC Keystone apprentices received top scores at the Keystone Chapter’s annual Local Craft Competition on Saturday, September 18, 2021, held at the Chapter’s state-of-the-art training facility in Manheim. The top scorers who demonstrated their superior skills, training and safe work practices will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the upcoming 2022 ABC National Craft Competition (NCC) to be held March 15-17, 2022, in San Antonio, Texas. At the National Craft Competition, they will compete against apprentices from ABC’s 69 chapters nationwide.

September 20, 2021

ABC Keystone Adds Three New Team Members:
HVAC Instructor, Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications, and Administrative Assistant Member Services

Manheim, Pennsylvania, September 13 — ABC Keystone is pleased to announce three new team members have joined the Chapter staff: Derek Robbins (New Cumberland), HVAC Instructor; Janet Gribble (Ronks), Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications; and Lori Allison (Columbia), Administrative Assistant Member Services. Please see below for more information.

September 13, 2021

ABC Keystone Apprenticeship Craft Competition - FB Cover

Apprenticeship Update: Back to School!

ABC Keystone’s Apprenticeship staff members are gearing up for another successful year of classes! In August, we welcomed Derek Robbins as a full time HVAC Instructor (all levels) and as a Sheet Metal Level 1 Instructor. We are pleased to share that Derek is EPA-certified which will provide HVAC Level 1 apprentices the opportunity to prepare for and take the EPA608 Universal Certification exam. Derek and our instructors are busy preparing for the start of the school year with classes beginning just after Labor Day.

September 10, 2021

Partners Needed:
Millersville University’s Student Chapter of ABC

Did you know that Millersville University has a Student Chapter of ABC?

Undergraduates in Construction Management, Occupational Safety, Applied Engineering, Robotic Control Systems, Technology, Graphic Communications and more get together every other week to network and learn about the construction industry. Many of them come from outside the local area and are pursuing internship and work opportunities with member firms. They are a captive, eager audience for those members who choose to get involved and can become key partners in growing your future workforce moving forward.

September 9, 2021

Message from the Chair:
Look Forward to Live, Look Back to Learn

It’s time for a bit of reflection. As I look back at my career of over fifty years, it brings me great satisfaction to visualize the journey. If you are like me, I trust that you likewise can look at the history of your career and say, “It was good!”

I’ve heard it said, “Look forward to live and look back to learn!” Just like driving a vehicle, most of your attention needs to be looking forward through the windshield, combined with a small amount of time looking in the rearview mirror. Every one of us has made a mistake at some point in our lives or careers, and we definitely need to look back to learn from it. But if we get fixated on the past – in the rearview mirror – we will surely crash our future! Whether you are early in your race, or nearing the finish line, setting goals and planning for progression sets the tone for victory!

September 3, 2021

Advocacy Update:
Workforce Development Legislation in the Forefront

As ABC members are aware, our association has been advocating strongly for changes to state-mandated apprentice-to-journeyworker ratio rules. Under a 60-year-old rule, merit shop contractors are required to have four journeyworkers supervise each apprentice. On the other hand, joint apprenticeship programs have unilateral flexibility in setting ratios through their collective bargaining agreements. We believe two set of standards is unfair and discriminatory.

August 30, 2021

Message from the Chair: Energize Through Activism!

To my fellow construction industry friends: is it just me, or are you, too, sensing an unfair trend in the policies and practices of the current administration? It sure seems like they are creating an atmosphere that is highly toxic for free enterprise!

I ask you to consider a current bill that is requiring all large government jobs to have a PLA (Project Labor Agreement). Simply interpreted, this means that only union contractors may bid the job. The ramifications of this are obvious – the end of free enterprise as we know it! The passage of this bill means that over 80% of contractors are unable to bid government jobs, and for ABC especially, this is unacceptable.

August 8, 2021

Thank You to Our Capital Campaign Contributors!

When there are member needs to be met, ABC Keystone steps up. The board of directors and committee members are directly responsible for driving the association forward and having the foresight to anticipate future needs.

The most tangible representation of this commitment to forward-thinking is our training facility. When you drive up to headquarters today, you are greeted by a 31,000 square foot facility that is often filled with the sounds of hands-on apprenticeship training in the shop, career development classes in spaces such as the state-of-the-art multimedia room, and possibly even middle school and high school students attending career exploration events and pre-apprenticeship classes respectively.

July 26, 2021

Twelve Lancaster County Students Discover Careers in Construction at ABC Keystone’s First-ever Construction Summer Camp for Girls

Manheim, Pa, July 12, 2021— During the week of June 14-18, 2021, 12 female students from Lancaster County attended a week-long summer camp at ABC Keystone’s training facility in Manheim. The All ‘bout Construction (ABC) Girls Camp (grant-funded by the Lancaster County Workforce Development Board), was a first-ever program offered by the Chapter and provided the students with the opportunity to meet with female construction industry leaders in addition to visiting jobsites of local contractors and learning beginner trade skills. During the week, the campers used the knowledge and training they gained to create their very own steampunk-themed, lighted charging station.

July 12, 2021

Message from the Chair: Stay Focused and in Control!

Are you along for the ride, just going with the flow, or are you directing the course and determining the outcome? As businesspersons, leaders, and managers, are we spending our talents and treasure on those activities that bring the best results, or, are we allowing time and events to slowly divert control of our companies away from our choices and decision-making and instead towards mandates made by government? Are we voluntarily giving up control?

June 28, 2021

Message from the Chair: Preparing for the Future

We are now in the month of June. It is our mid-way point for 2021, and I want to begin by recognizing and congratulating our dedicated Apprenticeship leaders and training staff for a championship year! Cindy DeWire (Director of Apprenticeship), her assistant Erin Hiles, and our instructors have done a great job making this an incredibly successful year – we thank you all for your hard work and dedication! Your outstanding efforts have allowed ABC Keystone to graduate the largest class in over 15 years! 108 apprentices from seven trades walked the stage on May 20, at the Clipper Magazine Stadium (home of the Lancaster Barnstormers)!

June 8, 2021

ABC Keystone Apprenticeship Training Trust Graduates Record-breaking Total of 108 Apprentices

Manheim, Pa, May 25, 2021—ABC Keystone Apprenticeship & Training Trust (KATT) is pleased to announce a record-breaking total of 108 apprentices have graduated in seven trades, including: Carpentry, Construction Craft Laborer, Electrical, Heavy Equipment Operator, HVAC, Plumbing and Sheet Metal. The ceremony took place on May 20, 2021, at the Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster.

May 25, 2021

Local Construction Industry Professional Awarded Craft Professional of the Year from ABC Keystone

Manheim, Pa, May 24, 2021—ABC Keystone is pleased to announce the 2021 Craft Professional of the Year Award (Carpentry) has been presented to George Caldwell (Holtwood), Wohlsen Construction Company (Lancaster). George received an eagle trophy and gift card when the announcement was made during ABC Keystone’s Apprenticeship Graduation & Craft Professional of the Year Award Ceremony held on May 20, 2021, at Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster.

May 24, 2021

Apprenticeship & Workforce Development

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