Related Organizations | The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress |

Get Rewarded for Education and Advancement Training (GREAT) Program

Although the resiliency and spirit of the Gulf Coast region have been unprecedented following the 2005 hurricanes, many more trained construction workers are needed to continue the rebuilding effort. Contractors have experienced significant labor shortages and continue to struggle to find skilled construction workers.

A large number of businesses, contractors, community colleges and others joined with state and federal governments in a landmark partnership to tackle this challenge. The Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative (GCWDI) seeks to recruit and train up to 20,000 new construction workers trained to the apprentice level by the end of 2009.

Through GCWDI, eligible participants can enroll in free four-week entry level skills courses, preparing them for employment in the construction industry. An integral part of the program will be safety training, which will satisfy the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's construction industry training program requirements. Participants are trained by instructors certified by the National Center for Construction Education and Research, a not-for-profit educational foundation created to develop and maintain industry-driven standardized construction craft training programs with portable credentials.

GCWDI supplements ongoing efforts in the public and private sectors and to date is primarily funded through members of Business Roundtable, which represents chief executive officers of the nation's largest companies and includes companies from every sector of the economy. State governments are committing money for these job training programs, and money from National Emergency Grant and the U. S. Department of Labor's Pathways to Construction grants also is being used.

Contractors are encouraged to partner with GCWDI to provide employment for those who complete training on basic construction skills. In addition, contractor input can help ensure newly-developed skills match the needs of the rebuilding effort.

Promoting GCWDI and recruiting participants for the training is being done through a campaign called the Get Rewarded for Education and Advancement Training (GREAT) Program.

As of August 2007, GCWDI is ahead of schedule in its efforts to recruit and train new construction workers in the Gulf Coast region. There have been more than 10,000 training completions with another 2,000 students enrolled in classes.

For general information about the GREAT program or if your company is interested in participating in the program through your local community college and hiring graduates, contact Marla Ramos, The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress' coordinator, at 10255 W. Higgins, Suite 600, Rosemont, IL 60018-5607; telephone (847) 299-9070, ext. 7539; or e-mail mramos@roofingindustryalliance.net.

Click here to watch a video about the GREAT program.