Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today announced that more than 170 of the top construction apprentices and trainees in the country will compete in the 30th annual National Craft Championships, March 1-2 during ABC’s Workforce Week ‘17 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Competitors from 27 states will contend for gold, silver and bronze medals and a safety award in 13 competitions representing 11 crafts. The two-day competition includes a written exam and a hands-on, practical test where competitors will demonstrate their high-level craftsmanship and safety best practices.

“The National Craft Championships is a great opportunity to show off the exceptionally skilled and well-trained craftsmen and women that work on Associated Builders and Contractors member jobsites,” said 2017 ABC National Chair Chuck Goodrich, president of Gaylor Electric Inc. Indianapolis. “ABC looks forward to showing off the very best the merit shop construction industry has to offer, including six Gaylor Electric apprentices, and drawing needed attention to the terrific career opportunities available in the construction industry.”

The annual National Craft Championships was first held in Orlando, Fla., in 1987. Apprentices and craft trainees will compete in:

• Carpentry: Residential/Commercial
• Electrical: Commercial-Industrial
• Electrical: Residential-Commercial
• Fire Sprinkler
• HVAC
• Instrumentation Fitting
• Insulation
• Millwright/Industrial Maintenance Mechanic
• Pipefitting
• Plumbing
• Sheet Metal
• Welding-Pipe
• Welding-Structural

NCC is part of ABC’s effort to raise the profile of careers in construction and highlight the $1.1 billion ABC member companies spend annually on workforce development. In addition to the competition, the NCC Expo will feature masonry and power line demonstrations, welding simulators, a crane simulator, an interactive fall-protection demonstration and tool and training demonstrations.

In addition to NCC, Workforce Week ’17 also features the Excellence in Construction® Awards, which will honor $2.4 billion worth of the best merit shop construction projects from 2016, ABC’s National Safety and Diversity Excellence Awards and world-class education programs for the commercial and industrial construction industry.

All Workforce Week events take place at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center. To see the National Craft Championships agenda, visit nationalcraftchampionships.org.