Issue link: http://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/1496538
BY NATHAN COONS 2023 RC CHAIR COONS CONSTRUCTION LLC Upcoming Events RC Dinner June 15 | 6-8:30 p.m. Museum of Flight, Seattle Visit mbaks.com/events for up-to-date information on the location and status of events. T here is a lot of conversation in the construction industry about the shortage of skilled labor. This is not a new conversation. When I entered the industry over 20 years ago, companies were talking about the challenges of finding skilled workers. Yet the only major change in trades education is the availability of online Teaching Tomorrow's Workforce We have to ensure that efforts to promote new ways of teaching the trades continue to grow even if the economy dips for a short period of time. Prepare for tomorrow with the Remodelers Council at mbaks.com/rc So how do we in the industry support real ways to teach the next generation? While there are a lot of ideas for teaching tomorrow's workforce, companies that contribute their time by getting involved with trades schools, participating in association discussions, and integrating training programs into their hiring process could have the biggest impact on teaching future construction professionals. Those in the industry today are best qualified to teach the future workforce. As remodeling contractors, we are often developing solutions to problems. The same is true for business owners. I would not rely on someone outside of my company to find a solution to my problems. Why then should we, as an industry, wait for others to train our future workforce? Your company is not going to fail because you communicated how you built a house to those outside your company. Communicating how you build to others is going to provide you with a better workforce to select from. Just think how your company would benefit if the future workforce understood how your company builds. training courses, Instagram, podcasts, and websites like buildshownetwork.com. The construction industry also ebbs and flows with the economy. As I talk with other business owners, I hear stories about new initiatives and education programs being put on hold when the economy changed and there was not enough work for those in the industry. We could be approaching a similar scenario in the next couple of years, but there's an opportunity to learn from history instead of repeating it. We have to ensure that efforts to promote new ways of teaching the trades continue to grow even if the economy dips for a short period of time. 18 master BUILDER | SPRING 2023 WORDS FROM THE CHAIR