Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national association representing more than 24,000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms in more than 78 chapters across the United States. ABC's membership represents all specialties within the U.S. construction industry and is comprised primarily of firms that perform work in the industrial and commercial sectors of the industry.

In fall 2007, the Construction Industry Institute (CII) released the results of a study that took a look at construction craft training. The study put under the microscope both union and non-union training programs and ultimately found that investing only 1 percent of a project's labor budget in training could have huge returns on productivity and absenteeism, among other things.

North County Trade Tech High School is officially opening its doors in September 2008. Any student entering ninth grade this fall is eligible to apply. The school accepts up to 100 students each year, growing to 400 students maximum across grades 9 to 12 by 2011. Student selection is through a public lottery held well in advance of the fall start date each year.

Since its inception in San Diego, ABC has been training young men and women in the HVAC and architectural sheet metal industry. Over the years, this has proven to be a complete success story, providing a win-win situation for the trades people and the contractors in the area.

Have you ever contracted someone to do some professional work on your home, only to discover you didn't hire a professional? Instead, you just hired a good salesman. If you're like me, you end up staring at the work, wondering where this wannabe contractor got his training. This sort of thing only happens once, because the second time around, you've learned to ask better questions and do better background checks.

Lance Zangger has brought home the Silver Medal in Sheet Metal from the ABC National Craft Championship competition in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Today's business environment rushes forward in a climate of energy cost uncertainty and the pressure to become "green." Much like a lit firecracker, there is a sudden urgency for companies to reduce their "carbon footprints" and bring to light the need to stress innovations in conservation and efficiency. Often, company and individual ideals don't match, but with these concepts we are seeing a convergence between the two.

A contractor recently had a vision of the future. His vision focused on the company's work force. He saw a well-trained, highly skilled work force, ready to take on any challenge. He called it a "work force dedicated to excellence." He detailed his vision to others in his company. They all understood and agreed with his vision. There was a lot of enthusiasm and excitement about this vision because it made sense.

The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) honors apprentices all over the state every year in conjunction with the anniversary of the Shelley-Maloney Act that established the basic features of California's apprenticeship program in 1939.

Despite a cooling in the construction market, residential in particular, today's construction industry is still facing a shortage of skilled workers in craft, technical and management positions.