PERSPECTIVE
By Tom Underhill
Hashtag Ironworker Training— SEAA’s Custom Programs are Trending
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EAA’s Ironworker Craft Training Program is one of the most important benefits SEAA offers its members. The program features exclusive benefits for members, which cuts costs and administrative requirements, while providing members access to custom ironworker curriculum and dozens of other construction craft training resources through NCCER. You’ll find a listing of the current participating Training Units and/or Assessment Sites on page 42. These participating SEAA member companies have invested in quality skills development training and assessments for their employees, and in some cases make their services available to the public. Three times a year, SEAA visits cities around the country, introducing erectors and fabricators in the area to the program. In October we will host a Meet & Greet reception in Raleigh, N.C. Whether you are a member or not, if you’d like to learn more about how SEAA can help you implement SEAA/NCCER Ironworker Craft Training, plan to attend one of these upcoming meetings, or call me at the SEAA office. Learn more at seaa.net/ quarterly-meetings.html. Providing training resources to members and the industry is a central focus of the association. In this issue we feature our first ever Training Directory, highlighting training options of particular interest to erectors and fabricators. This is a work in progress. If your company would like to be considered for next year’s listing, please contact editor@seaa.net. In that same vein, the board of directors recently voted to expand SEAA’s relationship with technical and community colleges in order to bring NCCER accredited testing for craft professions, including the SEAA/NCCER ironworker program, to students in local communities. The partnership allows colleges to become members of SEAA, giving them access to the SEAA/NCCER Ironworker Craft Training program, and other NCCER craft curriculum and assessments. Post-secondary institutions can join SEAA for a nominal fee of $700, which gives them access to become accredited training units and/or assessment sites. In addition, it affords students of those
schools the opportunity to receive SEAA’s Connector magazine, monthly newsletters, and invaluable networking opportunities with steel erectors, fabricators and other member companies. “As demand for skills training grows, SEAA seeks to provide communities with the resources and students with the pathways necessary to get the training, qualifications, and certifications necessary for careers in construction,” said Tim Eldridge, President of Education Services Unlimited and SEAA’s Craft Training and Assessment Administrator. In recognition of the good work our member companies do, the Safety & Education Committee will offer two
Providing training resources to members and the industry is a central focus of the association.
Tom Underhill is the Executive Director of the Steel Erectors Association of America. Contact him at tomunderhill@seaa.net. 10 | THE STEEL ERECTORS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
new awards in 2020. Safety Awards will be given to all companies that meet specific low rates of job site accidents, and the Training Awards will be given to companies who demonstrate a commitment to training a qualified workforce. Watch for more information on these new programs in October. These new awards join our prestigious Project of the Year program, of which two winning jobs are featured in this issue. This also is a benefit of membership, as winning companies receive considerable free publicity through SEAA and to the broader construction industry. If your company topped out a steel erection project in 2018 or 2019 that you are proud of, consider submitting using a simple online submission form. Deadline is March 1, 2020. Find the form at seaa.net/project-of-the-yearsubmission.html. One final note. SEAA's newest staff member, Bryttany Freeman, has a background in social media marketing. Working in conjunction with the Media Committee, she will be expanding the association’s social media presence. Feel free to tag us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn using #SEAA, #ironworker, #steelerection, or forward prospective submissions in the form of news stories, blogs, and graphics to bryttany@seaa.net.
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