Workforce Development & Training

Q+A with VEKA | Comprehensive, Collaborative Education

VEKA’s new Education Center delivers on its values of helping employees grow and customers to remain engaged in design trends and code compliance.

Gen Z Redefines Great Places to Work

Flexibility and professional growth are top-of-mind for the new generation of workers

Next-Gen Construction

The changing workforce prioritizes career development above nearly all else. Investing in your employees and implementing technology are two notable ways to give your business a competitive edge.

Destigmatizing Mental Health Discussions

Five times more people die of suicide in construction than other construction occupational fatalities combined. At GlassBuild America experts addressed mental health, risk factors, and creating a culture to aid suicide prevention.

Tenured Celebrations

The labor challenge likely will continue for years to come, but once we get people truly invested in this industry and what we do, they’re our greatest spokespeople. 

Children’s Book Focuses on the Quality of the Trades

“Grit Leads to Greatness” is a children’s book written by duo Jenny Kerr Schroen and Chris Eccleston of Delmarva Veteran Builders.

All Weather Architectural Aluminum Launches Apprenticeship Program

All Weather Architectural Aluminum has graduated its first five apprentices from the company’s inaugural apprenticeship program.

‘Biz Kidz’ Visit Glass Manufacturer, Learn About Entrepreneurship

Children aged 7 to 18 had the opportunity to learn about glass manufacturing and overall entrepreneurship during a tour of MY Shower Door / D3 Glass' facility in Fort Myers, Florida. 

Skilled Trades Leaders Unite on Labor Crisis

Leaders across the construction, retail and skilled trades industries have teamed up to create the Skilled Trades Advisory Council to combat the crisis facing skilled labor in North America.

3 Trends in Manufacturing HR

How COVID affected recruiting and retention, and how one company is staying on top of the trends.

Window Cast Episode 3

Taylor Anderson talks about the skilled labor shortage and the comprehensive onboarding process at her company, Anderson Aluminum as part of the BEC Conference panel, Generational and Mentorship Gaps.

Window Cast Episode 2

This episode features Joey Aragon, director of operations, Aragon Construction Inc., discussing how his company established and refined a mentorship program.

NCCER Compiles Paper on Experiences of Women in Industry

The National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) interviewed tradeswomen and analyzed responses to a survey directed to women in the industry for a white paper called "In Her Own Words: Improving Project Outcomes", which will assist employers with recruiting, hiring and…

Roto North America Partners with Transition Academy on Internships

Roto North America has partnered with a Connecticut-based community program that helps provide local internships to students with intellectual and developmental differences.

Childcare, Flexibility and DEI in Manufacturing

Women have tremendous power to close the manufacturing skills gap, but barriers remain, preventing women from entering—and staying—in the industry.

Q+A with VEKA: Next Gen Initiatives

Cultivating the next generation of workers through community support and industry education.

NAHB Urges Congress to Take Steps to Get More Women in the Workforce

To get more women working in the residential construction sector and overall workforce, lawmakers must pursue flexible, targeted and incentive-based strategies to tackle the high cost of childcare and availability of paid leave, the National Association of Home Builders told Congress.

Worker Shortage Continues to Weaken Housing Supply, Affordability

The Spring 2022 HBI Construction Labor Market Report finds the estimated worker growth required for the construction sector is approximately 740,000 per year. Meanwhile, the demand for construction workers remains strong, with 103,000 net residential construction jobs added over the past 12 months…

2022 MFG Day

Diversifying the Construction Industry

To increase the number of females in the industry, we must discuss the more ambitious goal of diversifying our workforce by attracting females into the construction industry.

Grant Money Awarded to Help Educate Youth on Career Opportunities in the Housing Trades

The National Housing Endowment’s Skilled Labor Fund has awarded funding to 59 home builder associations across the U.S.

Expert Panel to Host Virtual Lunch and Learn, Focusing on Heat Safety

Magid, a manufacturer of personal protective equipment innovations, announced in mid-March that it will host a Virtual Lunch & Learn with the National Heat Safety Coalition at noon CST on April 6, 2022 online.

5 Tactics to Boost Employee Commitment, Retention and Professional Behavior

Investing upfront in coaching and managing employees ultimately boosts employee retention, saving a fortune. The goal is to achieve happier, more engaged employees, resulting in a more successful company culture. 

West Africa Native Finds Stability, Meaning at MI Windows and Doors

Farid Igue celebrates 17 years working for the Harrisburg, Pa.-based MI Windows and Doors.

Building Talent Foundation, StrataTech Partner to Fill Skilled-Worker Shortages

Nonprofit organization Building Talent Foundation has announced a partnership with StrataTech Education Group, a skilled trade schools operator. The partnership is intended to leverage StrataTech and BTF's networks in Arizona, Florida and Texas to bolster the residential construction talent pool.

Women in Fenestration: Why it Matters, How to Encourage Growth

The BLS estimates 375,000 more manufacturing jobs will be added in the next 12 months. With reports of employee shortages, it makes sense for women to consider these typically “male” jobs and for employers to determine whether recruitment strategies are reaching all capable, qualified workers.

ProVia Debuts “Quick Start” Video Series to Aid Training

Each Quick Start video provides a brief, basic instructional format for the installation of a particular exterior building product.

Upskilling Workers and Career Pathways Increase Worker Retention, Study Finds

The top reason survey respondents gave for staying in their jobs was that they had opportunities for career advancement, training and learning new skills. The next most cited reason was their boss treating them well and feeling valued and respected at work.

NAHB and Boys & Girls Clubs of America Team Up to Promote Building Careers

8 Tips to Deal with the Labor Shortage

Supply chain issues and skilled labor unavailability are suppressing the demand-driven residential construction boom. Shortages are overwhelmingly reported for workers in all types of jobs, the worst being in framing crews, and rough and finish carpenters. But labor shortages in the manufacturing…

PGT Innovations Hosts Ribbon-Cutting for Onsite Training Center

The Venice, Florida-based company named the center after the late George Coopey, a longtime leader and team member who started the organization’s first hands-on training program back in the 1990s.

PGT Innovations Launches New Training Program for Sarasota County Students

The students spend two hours of each school day at PGT Innovations, with part of that time dedicated to classroom training at PGTI’s new onsite training center and the rest of the time working alongside a skilled mentor.

Soft Tech Launches Second Level of Academy

The lessons are available to view for free, with the aim of helping users upskill knowledge around V6 functionality and to work to best practice.

Construction Needs 2.2 Million New Hires from 2022-2024 to Keep Up With Growth

A lack of skilled construction labor is a key limiting factor for improving housing inventory and affordability, according to a new report by the Home Builders Institute.

How to Build a Strong Company Culture

A successful culture is one where all employees have the opportunity and the tools necessary to be their best selves within their role. From there, organizational success is more likely to follow, no matter the challenges ahead.

Speak to the Next Generation of Manufacturers

How can manufacturers effectively reach young people and recruit them to the industry? This is a challenge the Manufacturing Institute has been working to address through Manufacturing Day, held annually on the first Friday in October. 

Make Work Cool Again

Although the skilled labor shortage is a long-discussed topic, it’s a conversation happening with renewed vigor, particularly as companies are experiencing record-high business and feeling the labor shortage more acutely as they struggle to keep up with demand.

Upskilling: Training During a Pandemic

As a small business, how do you improve your services and better your skills/knowledge? You can employ a strategy called upskilling.

Diversify Your Workforce

A lot of hiring happens because people know people, which is good in some ways, but it also means people often hire those who think like them.

Labor and Automation

What Job Needs to be Done?

Window and door dealers are a product-focused bunch—and why wouldn’t we be? Manufacturer training and new innovative products are important parts of our world. We have to know how products will perform, compare and behave. However, this focus can lead us astray, causing us to ask the wrong…

The Opportunity for Women in Fenestration

This week is the National Association of Women in Construction’s Women in Construction Week, an annual event the first week of March that aims to promote women as a viable component of the industry. Although women comprise about 47 percent of the total U.S. workforce, construction is made up of…

Insights on Hiring

The process of recruiting and retaining employees is constant and ever-changing. Every aspect of the process—from recruitment tactics to branding to labor pools to internal procedures—must adapt to new types of hires and new challenges. 

Labor and Automation: Not a simple switch

Technology may be enticing and a solution to some labor woes. However, industry companies are faced with many challenges when considering technology investment. Often at the top of the list is cost. “There are levels of automation and workforce reduction in our equipment, but it has a large price…

Strategies For Success

Women are vastly underrepresented in construction. Although women comprise 47 percent of the total U.S. workforce, they represent only 9 percent of the construction workforce. With construction experiencing such an intense labor shortage, opportunities for women abound.

Building Better Business

In the article Investing in the #1 Asset published in the March/April 2019 issue, sources shared insights on how strong personnel relationships build better businesses. Part of the relationship equation relies on how employees see the company they work for. Here, brand awareness comes into play as…

Investing in the #1 Asset

Ensuring people know their value could be a key element in alleviating some of the pressure in the labor market. Making investments in people pays dividends to a company’s bottom line, impacting employee recruitment, retention and overall success. 

Treat Customers Like the Individuals They Are

Walker, a trend-setting customer experience consulting firm, recently did a study that asked professionals: Which changing customer expectation will have the greatest impact on your business in the future? While “speed” would seem to be the biggest customer pleaser in today’s “get it now or else”…

The Return of Rosie

The skills gap means that six out of 10 manufacturing positions are currently unfilled, which translates to some two million manufacturing jobs that may go begging over the next decade. One critical element that can aid in closing the gap remains largely untapped: women. The challenge is how.

Build a Great Team

  If you had the opportunity to work for yourself, would you? This question has been popping up in conversations with several clients lately. It’s come up during a board strategy session. It’s been discussed during coaching calls. And, it’s come up while discussing the challenges of working in…

5 Steps to Successful Recruitment

For companies that decide recruiting is a hiring strategy worth considering, certain practices can help lead to success.

Recruiting Realities, Poaching Pitfalls

Every industry has a labor problem. Every industry must consider how to do business anyway. 

Creating a Culture of Gender Diversity

A plurality of voices across the manufacturing and construction industries have underlined the need to tap underrepresented labor pools, the largest of which is women. While the number of women in construction and manufacturing has generally been on the rise since the end of the Great Recession,…

Grassroots Approach

The problem is clear: the construction industry is booming at a time when labor is scarce. The causes are just as well-known: experienced workers are retiring faster than new hires can fill jobs, and skills are going with them; young people aren’t interested in the trades, nor do they possess the…

Creative Recruiting

Although the worker shortage continues to be a primary concern for the manufacturing and construction industries at large, window and door companies are using a variety of methods to find and train qualified workers.

The Skilled Labor Shortage

Availability of qualified labor is increasingly seen as a major problem for both the construction industry and for manufacturers.