ABC/NCCER – Apprentice and Craft Training Programs

When open-shop contractors expanded their operations in the 1970s, one of the dilemmas they faced was a lack of skilled labor. The vast majority of construction apprentices were trained by joint [labor-management] apprentice training committees (JATCs), many of which had been established in the early 20th century.  In an attempt to develop a parallel system of open shop training, ABC established both formal apprentice and craft training programs.  As it tried to expand its workforce development capacity, ABC confronted another problem with their formal apprentice training programs.  As ABC has acknowledged, its efforts have been limited by a lack of broad open shop contractor and owner support for the cents-per-hour funding necessary to pay for training programs.18 Open shop contractors, with their focus on lower costs, have typically pursued a short term, low cost approach to training.  They have little incentive to invest in four or five year programs, such as those in place at the JATCs, especially if workers seek better pay and benefits once they are trained.  As a result, the open shop sector tends to devote far fewer resources to training programs when compared to the JATC programs.

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18. Whyte, D. and Green, S. The Skilled Workforce Shortage. National Center for Construction Education and Research White Paper, 8.