Building industry recruits military veterans for jobs

Construction contractors are looking for a few good workers. And they're hoping to find them in the ranks of U.S. military veterans.

That's the idea behind a new Web site - http://www.Veterans BuildAmerica.org - that links ex-service men and women with employment opportunities in construction.

The Web site is an initiative of the Associated Builders and Contractors and Orion International, a Raleigh, N.C.-based military placement organization. It's been available since Nov. 1 and was officially launched on Veterans Day.

ABC says the initiative is a win-win for ex-soldiers and the industry.

For veterans, it eases the transition back to civilian life and connects them with good jobs. For the industry, it's a much-needed pool of willing and able workers.

Our goal was not only to find workers, but to support our troops, said Bob Piper, ABC's vice president of workforce development. Our association believes strongly in what our military is doing.

Piper said reaching out to the military makes sense because many veterans have construction backgrounds.

At minimum, veterans have the people skills that employers value, Piper noted, including a strong work ethic, awareness of health and safety standards, an understanding of tight schedules, and the ability to work with others. They know what it means to be to work on time and those kinds of things, Piper said. Those are qualities we look for in employees.

Veterans can browse the site for jobs or submit a resume free of charge, and ABC members can post a job opening for free. Non-member contractors are charged $150 to $3,000 - depending on the length of the posting - to advertise job openings.

Jobs posted on the site range from laborer to roadway superintendent. Among the current openings are an assistant project manager in Los Angeles, a carpenter in Louisiana, an electrical apprentice in Seattle, and an HVAC technician in New York.

Piper said the response to the program has been favorable.

We've been getting a lot of calls from members who are interested in the program, he said. We're hoping for this to be real successful. We're really excited.

Efforts to link veterans with construction jobs aren't new. A similar program, called Helmets to Hardhats, dates back to 2002.

Administered by the Center for Military Recruitment Assessment and Veterans Employment, Helmets to Hardhats links veterans with construction training and employment, according to the program's Web site.

More than 21,000 candidates have been referred to construction careers through the program, the Web site noted.

Piper said the ABC program differs from Helmets to Hardhats in a number of ways. Unlike Helmets to Hardhats, the ABC program doesn't receive government funding, he said. Moreover, Helmets to Hardhats is geared toward union apprenticeship programs.

VeteransBuildAmerica puts veterans and employers directly in contact with each other, Piper said.

Construction employers, more than ever, are seeking new workers.

ABC, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics data, says the industry will need 240,000 new skilled craft workers each year to keep up with demand and to fill the work boots of retiring baby boomers.

Demand for workers is especially strong in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Piper noted.

They're going to need 30,000 to 50,000 [workers] just to come to the Gulf Coast area to rebuild, he said. That will put a crunch on the rest of the country.

There's going to be tremendous opportunities for anyone wanting to get into the industry.

Washington, D.C.-based ABC has 23,000 members and 79 chapters throughout the United States. Members include merit shop construction contractors and construction-related firms.

Orion International places veterans into construction positions ranging from project manager to bulldozer operator.

This article was originally published in Finance & Commerce, Minneapolis, Minn., another Dolan Media publication.

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