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The construction industry is facing a major labor shortage, but programs and people across the country are working locally to solve the problem. This series highlights efforts that help recruit the next generation of construction professionals. Read previous posts here.
Do you know of any groups that help attract workers to the construction industry? Let us know.
About a year into community college, Nicholas Gamino’s mother became ill and he needed to find a way to help care for her and contribute to his family’s bills.
She discovered Hire360, a local nonprofit that helps women, minorities and veterans in her hometown of Chicago connect with trades.
“I came across it and I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is just what I need,'” the 24-year-old said.
Today, Gamino is an apprentice electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134, earning money while learning his trade on the job. She is one of 400 people who have used Hire360 to find trade programs in the area.
A group effort
Jay Rowell, chief executive of Hire360, said the average age of union members in the Chicago area is in the 50s.
“So there will be a lot of retirements coming. At the same time, you have a number of massive projects on the horizon,” Rowell said.
Founded in January 2020, Hire360 has big names in construction stakeholders including AECOM Hunt, Boldt, Clark, Clayco, Gilbane, Mortenson and Turner. Developers and GCs largely provide donations, training input, and job connections for candidates.
Rowell said bringing employers, unions and landlords together was essential to Hire360’s success — they all face the same problem of needing more skilled workers.
“There’s no better training you’ll get than joint work and management learning programs, right? It is literally a training designed by the unions for the work on the projects with the input of the contractor”, he said.
Mike Meagher, president of Chicago construction firm Nacional Group and a member of the board of directors for Hire360, echoed Rowell’s sentiment.
“We all got together in a room and said, ‘How can we work together and raise the bar and get more minorities into the trades and help our industry?'” Meagher said, noting that the collaboration removes the fingers. “We can’t say the issue is the unions. The unions can’t say the problem is the contractors. We can’t all say the developers aren’t helping. So we’re all in the same boat together, rowing the same direction”.
Rowell admitted that early 2020 didn’t end up being a good time to start a nonprofit, but he’s nonetheless proud of the group’s efforts after the first two years of the pandemic COVID-19 slowed its initial growth.
And the success has been noticed. In January, Hire360 received a $3 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
“I think we’re probably one of the youngest charities ever to receive this donation,” Meagher said. “I think that’s very impactful. And it also says that what we’re doing really resonates with what we’re trying to do for the industry.”
The nonprofit also goes beyond recruiting: The “360” in the name refers to a full circle of efforts to benefit the industry, including outreach and education to youth and students, investment in minority and women-owned businesses and the empowerment of socially responsible hiring. .
Getting people to work
Hire360 has outreach and advertising to try to reach members of occupationally underrepresented groups who are old enough and eligible to work in the US. As a result, Hire360 talks to “literally thousands” of people annually, Rowell said. But it is not always the right one.
“It’s very hard skilled labor. You have to wake up at four in the morning. It’s kind of hot or cold in Chicago; well, actually lately, it’s been hot and cold on the same day; 75 degrees, then it’s snowing. It’s not an industry that’s for everyone,” he said.
For those who feel they want to pursue the trades, they take an aptitude and math test, then a pre-apprenticeship program that teaches them what to expect from each trade.
Gamino said a mentor or manager assigned to him by Hire360 helped him achieve his goal of doing electrical work and helped him find a placement in the apprenticeship program by preparing him for any assessments and training on soft skills such as how to behave and speak. in an interview
However, two major challenges remain in getting people to work: child care and lack of transportation. Rowell admitted that Hire360 doesn’t have an exact solution yet, but is looking for ways to help workers who care for family members find their place in the industry.
It’s out there
Nicholas Gamino
Permission granted by Hire360
Rowell said Hire360 benefits from having so many union shops and programs nearby, but noted that not every city has the same balance of unions and contractors. However, for those who have contacted Hire360 to try to recreate their success in other areas, Rowell said the information is already widely available.
“There are a lot of pieces that are already in place to help make this successful in different areas; There is a great curriculum from the American Construction Union that is already available for pre-apprenticeship programs,” said Rowell.
Gamino said he had heard about the pride people took in the construction trades, but it wasn’t until he got to the job site that he really understood that feeling when looking at a skyline or walking past a known project.
“Now, as an electrician, I have a new sense of wonder and almost pride in knowing that your work will be there for years,” he said.
