Career and Technical Education Month®, or CTE Month®, is “a public awareness campaign that takes place each February to celebrate the value of CTE and the achievements and accomplishments of CTE programs across the country.”
Here at ABC, apprenticeship training is in full swing! Classes started last September, and the Shop/Training Lab at the Chapter facility has been busy with hands-on training during all our trade classes. While it is important that apprentices learn the theory of their trade and the “how’s and why’s,” it has been our main goal–while expanding our building and hiring full-time instructors–to increase hands-on education opportunities in every apprenticeship class. I would encourage you to check out our training facility if you are in the building and see first-hand what our classes have been learning.
With the start of a new year, there is always excitement over the goals and initiatives we set out to accomplish. Likewise, there are many exciting initiatives that we are working on at ABC Keystone for the upcoming year.
First, we look to establish the Inclusion, Diversity and Unity committee. Unfortunately, the construction industry has an image problem. For too long, it has been considered a white male profession. While attending the 2021 ABC Leadership Institute, we saw how other chapters are making significant inroads with the minority, women, Veterans and LGBT communities. As we look at an aging workforce, the answer must be attracting new talent to this industry. ABC Keystone and all ABC chapters should tell the story that construction is a great industry in which to work, you can make a good living, and it is an industry for all.
Manheim, Pa, December 13, 2021—The Keystone Chapter of Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) is pleased to announce the addition of Assembler, Pre-Engineered Buildings to the PA-Registered apprenticeship programs available through the Chapter. ABC Keystone worked with the Metal Building Institute to construct the program which was approved by the PA Department of Labor & Industry and accepted by the State Apprenticeship Council in September 2021.
As my year as Chair of the ABC Keystone Board draws to a close, I am filled with gratitude for our President-CEO Dave Sload, the entire ABC Keystone staff, and of course, our tremendous volunteers that give so selflessly to make our various events a reality. Likewise, I wish to extend a heartfelt thanks to my fellow Board members and the many Committees and Chairs whom I’ve had the pleasure of leading and serving this past year. Most of all, it was my honor and delight to serve the entire membership of over 530 companies in 2021.
Fall is a great time of the year! Not only does the fall bring crisp, cool weather, but the season also begins a new school year. ABC Keystone is excited that another year of apprenticeship classes has begun, and this year, we are educating 350 apprentices. The addition of four full-time apprenticeship instructors allows us to continue to enhance the quality of training for our apprentices and for their companies.
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.
As we leave October and move into November, we have many things within our industry that we are celebrating. This past October was designated as Careers in Construction Month, and that was certainly something to celebrate. We continue to thank and honor you, the great individuals that make your career in construction. Without you, our country grinds to a halt. Without you, there is no need for trade associations like ABC.
We are now in the month of November, and my mind is drawn to our traditional Thanksgiving holiday and the customs that surround this annual occasion. We all have memories of learning the history of the early Pilgrims and the indigenous people that lived here before the Pilgrims arrived. The history of America’s beginnings can bring a variety of opinions regarding how the history should be presented, but we can all agree we are thankful that history created early America, and we can be thankful for ABC.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
