Newsline

The Leadership Conference, Nov. 11-13 in Miami, Fla., will provide the opportunity for incoming and current board members, chapter staff, industry attorneys and ABC student chapters to learn what it takes to be a successful leader at ABC and in their careers. Attendees will share lessons learned, discover new ways to encourage business growth, and build relationships with industry peers. Here’s who should attend the conference:

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which passed the U.S. Senate June 25 with a 95-3 vote, focuses on strengthening our nation’s approach to businesses’ hiring and training needs and increasing employment opportunities.

ABC May 28 sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Education and the Workforce Committee urging passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). WIOA represents an important opportunity to improve our workforce development system by increasing local business input in developing job training programs and improving access to federal funding for non-union training programs.

The 2014 Craft Professional of the Year award was presented to Robert Stuart, superintendent at Stronghold Engineering in Menifee, Calif., May 2 during ABC’s National Craft Championships and Workforce Development Conference in Birmingham, Ala. The award recognizes Stuart’s work in the industry including his commitment to safety, training and the merit shop philosophy.

Local media outlets welcomed this year’s National Craft Championships (NCC) by covering several individual competitors trips to NCC. Newspapers from Alabama, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Texas published stories on competitors in the Welding-Structural, Sheet Metal, HVAC, and Electrical: Commercial-Industrial competitions.

The ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter broke ground April 11 in St. Rose, La. on Phase Two of their training campus master plan expansion, which includes an additional 18,000 square feet of classrooms, laboratories and welding booths for its apprenticeship and craft training program, as well as its safety and management education program.

The ABC student chapter at Montgomery College, Rockville, Md., was named the 2014 Student Chapter of the Year, which recognized them for their outstanding and extensive programming, community service and involvement with ABC during the past year. The student chapter will be honored at the Careers in Construction Awards ceremony May 2 in Birmingham, Ala.

ABC awarded Lloyd Evans, hiring and training administrator for Watson Electrical Construction Co. LLC, Wilson, N.C., as its 2014 Craft Instructor of the Year. Evans will be honored during ABC’s Workforce Development Conference May 2 in Birmingham, Ala.

ABC is seeking volunteers with recognized experience and expertise in a craft to judge the 2014 National Craft Championships on May 1 in Birmingham, Ala. ABC members who are interested in participating should submit a judge’s form, found on the NCC website, to [email protected] indicating which craft competitions they would like to judge.

Registration is still open for the 2014 Workforce Development Conference being held April 29-May 2 in Birmingham, Ala. which will feature education sessions spanning six topics, keynote speakers, networking receptions and the National Craft Championships. Members interested in learning more can view the agenda and plan their week in Alabama by visiting wdc.abc.org.