AGC of America is pleased to announce that a yearlong project to create an industry recruiting template website that AGC Chapters can brand and customize as their own is complete. AGC Chapters that are interested are encouraged to view the free 60-minute webinar that describes the functions and capabilities of the website.

AGC will conduct a two-part webinar titled “Davis-Bacon:  Understanding, Influencing, and Complying with Federal Prevailing Wage Requirements” on Dec. 5 and 10, 2013, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.  Understanding and complying with the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts is no simple task. Yet failure to do so can put a contractor at risk for catastrophic consequences -- from high-dollar penalties to debarment. This webinar series will provide valuable information to help you avoid those risks, whether you’re new to federal contract compliance or just want a refresher course and update.  It will also help you understand your rights to influence and challenge the wage-and-benefits requirements that affect your firm.

AGC of America would like to congratulate our craft training partner, NCCER, and member WRTP/BIG STEP of Milwaukee on receiving 2013 Workforce Development Awards from the Construction Users Roundtable (CURT). The awards were announced during CURT’s annual conference, held Nov. 11-13 in Tucson, Ariz.

AGC of America is rolling out its template “Build” recruiting website with a free, 60-minute webinar, to be held from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 6, 2013. The template is based on the BuildWisconsin.com website created and maintained by AGC of Wisconsin. The goal of this 60-minute webinar is to introduce Chapters and members to the functions and capabilities of the website and encourage the adoption and customization of it for their local market needs.

AGC is pleased to present the two winners of the 2013 Outstanding Student Chapter Contest. Winners receive framed certificates, cash prizes and will be asked to give a presentation on their winning project at the 2014 AGC Annual Convention.

Training and Workforce Development professionals gathered on Oct. 15 and 16 at the Millennium Knickerbockers Hotel in Chicago for the newly combined Construction HR & Training Professionals Conference. The two-day conference provided a unique opportunity for human resources and training professional to learn about cutting-edge techniques, industry trends and compliance issues. Over the course of the conference attendees enjoyed ample opportunities to network with their peers during breakout sessions and social events.

AGC of America is pleased to announce the achievement of a new milestone, over three hundred and twenty individuals have now earned the Certificate of Management—Building Information Modeling (CM-BIM). Professionals located all over the nation have traveled to the 19 test centers to take their exam that earns them the professional accreditation, the Certificate of Management-Building Information Modeling (CM-BIM).  In addition to the testing centers, this year AGC began offering the CM-BIM exam in conjunction with the BIM Forum.  Seven individuals sat for the exam in Denver, Colo. on Monday, Oct. 7.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013 - 2:00pm to 3:30pm EST This webinar will be a presentation and discussion on the Weitz Company's internal supply chain division—CPD: Construction Products Distributors. The webinar will include a brief history of the company and how they took the theoretical concepts of lean to develop and implement an internal supply chain. Mike Boettcher, Weitz Project Manager Company Lean Leader and Mike Rupe, Weitz/CPD Supply Chain President will also discuss the associated Lean benefits of utilizing a supply chain by sharing real world examples including, minimizing waste, creating consistency and standardization, developing strong relationships and improving suppliers. Other elements of the webinar will include the use of a supply chain and other Lean related advancing industry practices such as IPD agreements, VDC and using the supply chain in standard Construction Lean processes.

Due to popular demand, AGC has added two additional programs to be held in January and March of 2014.  AGC's Construction Project Manager Course (PMC) provides project managers the chance to hone the skills necessary to work more efficiently and increase productivity.

A recent report by The Aspen Institute’s Workforce Strategies Initiative focused on  the apprenticeship completion and cancellation rates among 18 construction crafts, including roofers, painters, laborers, carpenters, electricians, sheet metal workers, operating engineers, painters, glaziers, and drywall and ceiling tile installers. The report titled, “Apprenticeship: Completion and Cancellation in the Building Trades,” is the latest in a series of research reports into the construction industry, including a 2009 national survey on construction pre-apprenticeship programs.