Washington state program earns top honor for promoting industry jobs

The Associated General Contractors of Washington Education Foundation was awarded for Core Plus Construction (CPC), its approach to overcoming construction labor shortages.

CPC introduces students and educators to construction careers, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) says. As a result, the foundation was named as the grand-prize winner of the AGC Innovation Awards.

“These awards recognize the innovators who are crafting novel approaches to overcoming some of the most pressing challenges facing the construction industry,” says Bob Lanham, president of AGC and Williams Brothers Construction Co. in Houston. “Shining a spotlight on their accomplishments is the best way to ensure these innovations improve the entire industry.”

CPC is an official Washington state program of study. It allows high school students to explore construction careers through construction trades classes that provide credit equivalencies for third year math, science and English language arts, as well as industry certification.

This 1,080-hour program includes curriculum and resources. This ensures that all schools, regardless of size or funding, can offer students a free, quality construction education that is consistent across the state, AGC says.

AGC is working with students, educators and counselors in rural areas that might not otherwise have funding to access construction education. Benefits of this industry-aligned program include the opportunity for general contractors to volunteer as instructors, offer jobsite tours and serve as mentors.

In addition to AGC of Washington, Clarence, New York-based CaHill Tech, received second place for development of its own app, aQuiRe, which it says improves job readiness for the next generation workforce by modernizing mentor/protégé relationships.

Minneapolis-based Ryan Companies was awarded third place for developing Napkin Sketch, a web-based application that empowers real estate professionals to make quicker, more accurate site selections. The company says the tool quickly test-fits sites and uses high-level building parameters to derive a total construction cost, scope, and duration.

The association presented the AGC of Washington Foundation with a $7,000 grand prize during its annual convention last month in Grapevine, Texas.

Lanham says the association created the AGC Innovation Awards to inspire members of the construction industry to craft innovative solutions to pressing industry challenges. He adds the Innovation Award showcases free thinkers within the construction industry to provide solutions to construction challenges.