Greetings!
It’s January of 2022 already and while I had held on to hopes that COVID would be behind us and we could all return to travel, face-to-face meetings, and handshakes that isn’t where we are today. But truth be told, COVID really hasn’t slowed down the progress of Construction Career Collaborative (C3) in the least. In reality, we are thriving. An email to me last week pointed out that nobody need ask how C3 is doing, as it is clear by the signs all over town that we are doing great. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. As 2022 progresses we know that our mission will be advanced on numerous new jobsites and with new owners across the city.
The start of the year is a time for reflection and planning. A chat with a board member recently, reminded me that each year I must take a solid inventory of where we stand with our mission and core values. As the leader of the organization, it is crucial that I am the one who correlates our efforts to the mission. It is also the time of year that I review our strategy and plan our next endeavors. So what is next for C3? Where are we going and how does it all relate back to being an interdependent alliance of construction industry leaders, who are collectively committed to positively impacting the future of the industry by strengthening the safe, skilled and sustainable craft workforce pipeline?
Well again this year, as in all years past, we will be seeking out owners who believe that closing the workforce gap is the responsibility of all that are involved in the creation and modification of our built environment. We will continue to seek to engage with owners who want to have stronger building programs because they work with companies that have stronger safety and training programs. Companies that understand when workers are engaged they are more productive and produce better quality product. We create this stronger and more vibrant group of owners only when we work together. It is this interdependence of our organization that makes us unique and pointed to by so many other regions as an example of what can be done when we all work toward a common mission.
Owners can’t do it alone. Our mission accomplishment requires that they are able to pass off the work to skilled and highly invested General Contractors who are actively working with our subcontractors to create a more skilled workforce. Just today our staff talked as a team about more ways we can help those contactors with craft professionals access and build competency that leads to better productivity and quality in our building programs.
But really it can’t stop with C3. It has to bridge the gap to our talent supply chain. We have to work to reach those that have the potential and the drive to become masters of their trade by joining the construction industry. So when we truly score the final goal of this game it will be because, as our mission says, we worked together to create an environment in which everyone touches the ball, passing and dribbling until we score by moving the needle on the workforce shortage.
So while Omnicron may be making its way through our ranks so should a passion to see the future where our talent pipelines are full because we have worked together to create a new image of construction. One that provides individuals with the opportunity to work for companies that value employees and work to skill them to the highest level. An industry that offers the unique benefit of helping to craft the skyline of both our history and our future. A workforce that is honored for the essentialness of its work to all that makes our economy and country great.
That’s what 2022 and beyond hold for C3. That is what we are at our core – a rallying call for all those who have determined that their workforce is their greatest asset and are invested in being part of the solution. It is why we were born and what must always remain our primary focus. Together we build a better tomorrow.
Collaboratively,
Angela Robbins Taylor
Executive Director
