“We’re asking businesses and organizations across the country to sign our new pledge to America’s workers.” – President Donald J. Trump

On Wednesday, October 31st, 2018, APM representatives, Jake Locklear and Nick Brockman, along with TAUC (The Association of Union Constructors) and other building trades partners, joined the White House in a discussion on the nation’s growing economy and the Administration’s workforce development efforts to ensure more Americans have the skills necessary to succeed. In July 2018, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing the President’s National Council for the American Worker and the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board. During the Executive Order signing, over 20 companies and organizations pledged to create enhanced career opportunities for over 3,800,000 Americans through increased apprenticeships and work-based learning programs, continuing education, on-the-job training, and re-skilling.

As part of the White House’s “Pledge to America’s Workers” initiative, TAUC has committed to working with its 2,000-member contractor firms to hire 250,000 apprentices over the next five years, beginning in 2019. APM has joined this commitment and will achieve the pledge through the following actions:

• Prioritize apprenticeship hiring – through establishment of apprenticeship hiring goals and benchmarks for certain projects.

• Increase outreach efforts to young workers – through creative outreach efforts via web platforms, as well as increased visibility at high schools and job/career fairs around the country.

• Increase on-the-job mentoring efforts – through development of mentoring programs that pair apprentices with veteran workers to help all achieve their highest potential.

• Keep people first – through commitment to valuing and respecting our workers, keeping their safety and well-being as our top priority.

Nick is one example of many professionals who have grown a successful career through the building trades. He joined the UBC (United Brotherhood of Carpenters) apprenticeship program in 1997 shortly after graduating from high school and has worked in many exciting roles and projects in the power industry, gaining insight for highly-technical scopes as well as project management. He currently serves APM as the General Manager of Specialty Services. Nick reflected on his construction career in sharing:

“My apprenticeship gave me a chance to be trained by veteran craftworkers with decades of experience. I was able to learn so much so quickly. I knew I didn’t want to sit at a university for four years and go into debt studying topics that didn’t interest me. The apprenticeship program was almost too good to be true – it gave me the opportunity to learn and get real work experience while getting paid a great wage at the same time.

Being a third-generation union member, I have seen the positive impact that a skilled trade can have on many levels, including one’s personal growth, providing for one’s family, and delivering value to our customers through a highly trained and productive workforce. My union membership and apprenticeship has provided a solid foundation of progressive skill-advancement training as a continual source of personal fulfillment and career progression.”

During the White House event, the President proudly announced that more than 160 companies and organizations have pledged to create 6.39 million new enhanced career opportunities for America’s workers since the establishment of the Pledge to America’s Workers. APM was honored to represent its diverse workforce of nearly 8,000 multi-craft professionals at the event and is proud to answer the President’s call in creating and sustaining American jobs.

In a discussion following the event, Jake commented:

“The Pledge is a great opportunity for APM and other union construction firms to join our labor partners and the President in highlighting the value of apprenticeship and other training programs for job opportunity and economic growth. Our presence at the White House is also another step forward in our growth as one APM, being a significant player in the future of the union construction industry.

Personally, it was a unique and humbling experience. I reflected on the wisdom of my Grandpa – JW or ‘Big Jake’ – who would have summarized his public policy as ‘I’m for the working man!’ To think his grandson (me), three generations removed from a sharecropper in central Texas, would be in the White House to celebrate job creation for the ‘working man’ with Nick, a third-generation union craftsman, was surreal.”

Visit www.webuildusa.org, a comprehensive website developed by TAUC and their building trades partners, to learn more about available apprenticeship opportunities.