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2009 Community Conversation
Building Central New York’s Construction Workforce
April 30, 2009
Rosamond Gifford Zoo
Quotes from the Event...
“Keep the conversation going!”
“This was an excellent start. It was clear that common problems were identified in pipeline development.”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect—and was pleased with what happened.”
A Great Success!
Over 70 people from the community representing the construction and building trades, non-profit groups, local schools, economic development agencies and other interested parties attended this event. This large community interest only further supported the advisory committees initial interest and need to present this community conversation.
The community Conversation was hosted by: Onondaga Community College (OCC), SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc. (ABC), OCM BOCES, the Work Force Development Institute, and City of Syracuse and Onondaga County Economic Development in cooperation with Journey to Jobs (J2J), CNY Works, and the Metropolitan Development Association of Syracuse and Central New York (MDA).
Attendees included: Construction industry business owners and representatives, job development agencies or program representatives, training and education service providers, not-for-profit agencies, green alliances and organizations involved in the building industry, economic developers, and government and licensing bodies.
Goals of the Conversation
The CNY business community is dependent upon the building industry to provide the facilities needed for our 21st century economy. As with other industries, the building industry is dependent upon employee recruitment, retention, and training and development programs to fulfill those needs. Workforce recruitment and development is both an issue and a significant opportunity for CNY. We should address this need in order to better position ourselves in this changing economy.
A significant example of why we must address our workforce issues is the opportunity associated with “green building”. With the unavoidable effects of climate change among us, it is increasingly important that we begin to move away from our traditional building designs and techniques toward more efficient buildings. Changes in design and construction will lead to new opportunities for workforce development and the construction industry in general. Edward Mazria, founder of Architecture 2030, explains that because building is a local activity, the money invested in the Building Sector cycles through local economies several times, bolstering the entire economy (Architecture 2030).
The Community Conversation on Workforce Development fostered discussions about the opportunities and resources available to the construction industry of Central New York. The result of these discussions was a better alignment of education, business, and our community resources supporting the industry’s employee pipeline and career ladder needs. Communication and connectivity between education, workforce development and economic development efforts must be our priority if we are to successfully address these workforce issues.
The Community Conversation on Construction Workforce Development Panel and Roundtable Discussions addressed two presenting questions:
- What are the near- and long-term challenges associated with construction workforce development in response to the current and emerging world marketplace?
- How can we leverage our region's considerable educational, business and public resources to further develop and support the construction industry in CNY?
This program is supported, in part, by a 2009 Journey to Jobs (J2J) grant and with funds made available by the Metropolitan Development Association of Syracuse and Central New York (MDA).
For questions and inquiries, please contact:
Maura Harling Stefl, Administrative Assistant
SUNY-ESF Outreach
1 Forestry Drive
221 Marshall Hall
Syracuse, NY 13210
315-470-6817 (phone)
315-470-6890 (fax)
mhstefl@esf.edu
