by Kim Bryan , Petticoat-Schmitt Civil Construction

As a former high school teacher trained in education , I took the opportunity to share my talents with our local Association , NUCA of North Florida , in the early to mid-2000 ’ s by participating in and chairing our Education Committee . At the time , we had a dire trained and skilled labor shortage . I assisted with developing a partnership between our chapter and the local Junior College , drafting the curriculum of the programs , recruiting volunteer instructors and implementing our local Basic and Advanced Underground Utility Construction Training program to the benefit of our member contractors . I also became an instructor and drafted a proposal for a funding grant to assist in keeping the cost low for

employers .

Fast forward 10 years . Our industry – as well as many other skilled construction trade industries – are in a similar , if not worse , labor shortage predicament . When the opportunity came up for our state Association to participate in a Construction Industry Workforce Taskforce , where the current training and education of our future workers was being evaluated and assessed , Kathy Blackman thought I might be a good fit to represent our industry given my history and involvement with this issue . I graciously accepted the invitation .

The Taskforce is represented by many construction trades across the state , all of which are experiencing labor issues , including but not only , electricians , brick masons , asphalt contractors ,

fire sprinklers , carpenters , HVAC , swimming pool , alarm , building inspectors , roofers , concrete and homebuilders . Primarily the main concerns are shortage of workers in general and shortage of skilled workers specifically . As we all know , the Great Recession caused a substantial reduction in the construction workforce in Florida . While many firms attempted to keep their best , most seasoned ( i . e . older / most experienced ) employees , many up-andcoming tradesmen , typically in their late 20 ’ s to mid-30 ’ s , either left the state or left the construction industry . The trend is that these younger workers that abandoned construction were quite adaptable and found work in other fields . It has been difficult if not near impossible to entice them back to construction . The older generation that hung in there