Workforce Under Construction

Across the country, construction apprentices and trainees are showcasing their skills and competing at Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC) chapter craft competitions. Chapters including the ABC San Diego Chapter, the ABC Pelican Chapter and the ABC Metro Washington Chapter recently held their events and are now preparing their winners to head to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in March to compete at the national level.

The ABC San Diego Chapter held their 14th Annual Craft Championship Competition Dec. 6 where they watched 21 of their top apprentices and trainees test their skills in a hands-on competition. Their first-place winners will go on to compete in their crafts at ABC’s National Craft Championships. Daniel Siordia of Rowan Electric will compete in the electrical competition. Representing San Diego in the plumbing competition will be Daniel Baldwin of Interpipe Contracting. The third champion was Kevin Strahler of West Coast Air Conditioning who will be competing in the sheet metal competition.

Over the last 13 years, ABC San Diego has taken home 16 national medals including three national silver medals in the 2014 competition. You can see some of their past competitors in the video below:

 

The Pelican Chapter held their craft competition Dec. 11 with students competing in electrical, instrumentation, millwright, pipefitting, and pipe welding. The competitors for this event were chosen by their instructors for their exemplary performance, good attendance, and above average grades on written tests in their respective classes. The first place winners from each craft as well as the second place winner in pipe-welding will go on to represent the Pelican Chapter at the National Craft Championships.

In addition, the ABC Metro Washington chapter held the first part of their local craft competition Dec. 16 and had 3 apprentices and trainees competing against each other in the plumbing competition. Michael Kromer with Magnolia Plumbing, Inc. won the top spot in plumbing and will go on to the National Craft Championships. The chapter will hold its competitions in HVAC in Sheet Metal in the next few weeks to determine two more winners. The competitors completed a project given specific materials and shortened time-frame and were judged on 20 different areas including safety, quality of workmanship, techniques and overall construction skills.

For more information on ABC’s National Craft Championships, visit www.nationalcraftchampionships.org and join us in watching more than 150 of the top apprentices and trainees from around the country compete March 3-6 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.