COVER STORY
By Lucy Perry
The Next Level of Training
for Ironworkers, Fabrication Workers SEAA members explore new avenues to expand training and certification opportunities
Students from Clay-Chalkville High School, Talladega City School and Pell City High School work on a Steel Training Sculpture, which is designed to show most every type of steel connection used in structural erection. “Once assembled by the students we teach them why differing designs are used in the real thing,” said John Garrison, CEO.
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ringing skilled labor into the steel erection industry is a critical ongoing effort for members of the Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA). According to a Construction Industry Resources report for 2017-2021, peak demand for reinforcing ironworkers is expected in Q1 of 2019, while the peak for structural ironworkers is right now. (See chart.) The organization, which utilizes the Construction Labor Market Analyzer (CLMA®) to help companies manage labor risk, estimates a deficit of nearly 100,000 reinforcing ironworkers at the peak period and more than 110,000 for structural ironworkers this year. “There is a huge need for people to come into the industry. We have to find a way to get them in, and once they’re in, retain them by training and providing career opportunities,” says Tim Eldridge, SEAA Craft Training Lucy Perry operates WordSkills Editorial Services in Kansas City, Mo. She has spent 20 years following the North American construction industry. She can be reached at wordskillseditor@ gmail.com.
22 | THE STEEL ERECTORS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
Consultant. To that end, the association’s three-year-old craft training program, accredited through NCCER, comprises 14 training units and assessment centers across the United States. Many of these companies offer training and/or certification for ironworkers, riggers, signalpersons, and crane operators. In addition, some members utilize SEAA’s Department of Labor-approved ironworker apprenticeship program. Much progress has been made as member companies find ways to customize the training and apprenticeship to their needs, however, many small businesses don’t have the staff or processes in place to efficiently manage the program. “As a small company, we struggled with the delivery mechanism. There needs to be continuity in the training. And we need to find a more productive, cost-effective way to deliver the training on an ongoing-basis,” said Jack Nix, Project Manager, Shelby Erectors, Davie, Fla. While ironworker and other craft training will always require years of hands-on, practical instruction, and practice, there are portions of the training that can be delivered more efficiently. One solution is self-directed,