Message from the Chair: ABC’s Commitment to Training Tomorrow’s Workforce

By: Steve Conway, Pyramid Construction Services, LLC, A Quandel Company, ABC Keystone 2023 Chair of the Board

ABC’s Commitment to Training Tomorrow’s Workforce

On Thursday, May 25, 98 apprentices will graduate from the ABC Keystone Apprenticeship program, marking a milestone in each one of their careers. Graduates will be representing 42 different companies across seven various trade programs (carpentry, construction craft laborer, electrical, heavy equipment operator, HVAC, plumbing, and sheet metal). What an extraordinary achievement for each of these individuals! Reaching this milestone doesn’t happen without hard work, dedication, drive, and commitment to their trade.

To provide some perspective on the work involved, each of these individuals is required to complete the following to receive their journeyman’s certificate:
• 144 hours of related training instruction for each year of their program.
• Achieve a passing grade of at least 70%.
• Obtain their OSHA 10-Hour Construction and First Aid/AED/CPR certifications.
• Log 2,000 hours of on-the-job training (OJT) for each year of their program.

This year is ABC Keystone’s 50th Apprenticeship graduation ceremony! Since the program’s inception, ABC has graduated 2,882 apprentices (including this year’s graduates). The program has grown and evolved over the years, adding more trades and steadily increasing the number of enrolled students to a current enrollment of 403 apprentices. Due to the members’ steady growth and interest in formally training their staff, ABC has evolved the program into one that now employs both full-time and part-time instructors. The training center expansion, completed in 2015, was considered adequate for training for the foreseeable future. However, the center is nearing capacity only eight years later, with discussions of possible expansion on the horizon.

In addition to members enrolling employees in the apprenticeship program, ABC is doing its part to influence future upstream candidates through articulation agreements and pre-apprenticeship programs in the surrounding school districts. These pre-apprenticeship programs intend to provide career exploration into the construction industry, while articulation agreements help satisfy the general education credits of the early stages of apprenticeship. We work hard to give a perspective on a career path alternative to the traditional post-secondary education model, where young adults can “earn while they learn” without the burden of student loans.

Please mark your calendar for May 25 to come out and participate in the celebration of our industry’s newest journeymen. These individuals have made a commitment to our industry and deserve all the praise for their accomplishments.

Posted May 9, 2023