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John Mielke began his career as an apprenticeship coordinator for Associated Builders and Contractors in Wisconsin.
Now, after 32 years with the group’s Badger State chapter, including 12 as president, Mielke is once again committed to promoting learning, but on a national scale. ABC named Mielke the senior director of learning on October 7.
The appointment comes at a time when high demand for skilled construction trades continues to be a thorn in the side of contractors, particularly as they seek to undertake a record amount of infrastructure work.
Here, Mielke talks to Construction Dive about the value of recorded learning, plans for the future and his vision for the emerging workforce.
The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.
CONSTRUCTION DIVE: How are you feeling about this new role at ABC National?
John Mielke
Permission granted by ABC
JOHN MIELKE: I think the first step will be for me to get my arms around exactly what the chapters are doing. I think the chapters are laboratories of innovation on all kinds of fronts, and everyone is doing something a little different. My first task will just be to get to know their training programs better and see where I can help.
They are almost exclusively merit shop programs. There are a few chapters where ABC and Associated General Contractors of America chapters are combined, and they may have a different setup, but the vast majority of these apprenticeship programs are merit shop programs.
And I think the number is about 450 different programs in the registered learning programs of these chapters. There are also many more craft training programs.
What are the pain points that make it harder to get people learning now?
We have a shortage of skilled labour, with people leaving the trades and trying to make sure it’s an attractive career for younger people, we have this kind of crisis. I think the average age of a construction worker in the US is 42. When we conducted our workforce development survey, we found that 58% of our members reported that their labor shortage was severe or very severe. We don’t have enough people to fill the jobs to do the work on the books.
The number of people in construction who are under the age of 25 continues to grow. In the Wisconsin chapter a few years ago the average age of an apprentice was 28, now it’s 25. So that number is moving a bit. But it is a lot of work with schools and institutes, even in some cases with secondary schools with career promotion in construction. And I think we’re actually turning the corner.
A few years ago, perhaps this career in construction was seen as a second choice. I think that is no longer true. I think many people see it as a first choice because of the high income potential, job security and job satisfaction.
Anecdotally, my son went to college for four years, started his job in the workforce, and then decided he wanted to be an apprentice plumber. So he’s actually in the plumbing apprenticeship program. I think we see a lot of that.
People who went to college thinking that was the path to success, learned that maybe it wasn’t the path they thought it was or the path they wanted, and found an opportunity to enter the apprenticeship program . It would be better if we could catch them earlier.
This new generation of workers has a reputation for having a different attitude towards work. is it true how is that
Yes, I think it’s different. I mean, every generation is different or opinions work differently, but I think it’s a mistake if people assume that members of the younger generation don’t want to work. This has not been our experience.
I think a lot of people who go into the trades are drawn to the job satisfaction and the tangible nature of the work, and knowing at the end of the day that you’ve got something done and you can see your work and your progress and it’s real work. It’s not some kind of pseudo-work.
Some of us spend days pushing paper and checking off things. And I think that’s an attraction for a lot of people to see the real fruits of their labor.
What is the solution to getting more people to access recorded learning?
I think the solution is really three things. We must continue to recruit younger generations. We need to diversify the workforce and reach populations that are historically underrepresented and we need multiple ramps to enter the industry.
Last year, ABC members spent $1.6 billion educating our workforce. So they are committed to training and they are committed to education. The programs are there. Our chapters offer about 800 different education and craft training programs, including about 450 government-registered apprenticeships.
We spend a lot of time reaching out to women and minorities. Veterans can also be a key component of this workforce for sure. Citizens re-entering, I know some of our chapters are working with people re-entering the workforce. We just have to look everywhere we can find people.
What makes registered learners a good choice for growing the workforce?
I think it’s the ultimate earn-while-you-learn model. You can learn a trade that leads to a career in construction, and get paid to do it. I also believe that the apprenticeship program is a proven way to recruit and retain workers. So this is another aspect that is good for the employer.
When you can show a learner that at the end of the day they’re going to have a recognized portable credential that’s going to be provided by the federal government or the state government, depending on what state you’re in, and people will recognize that credential, that’s a good way to retain and hire workers.
And if done right, apprenticeships can be a great way to recruit women and minorities into the trades. And rightfully so, I mean, the nature of learning is that you have a mentor who teaches you the craft.
If you have a mentor who also makes sure that person gets the other things they need, in addition to the technical training, the other types of support in the workplace, that can be a great way to recruit someone who was hesitant to get into the workplace trade for one reason or another.
