Business View Magazine | October 2020

22 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020 In addition, SEAA has developed safety training products to assist organizations, contractors, engineers, steel detailers, architects, and other safety personnel with OSHA compliance, workplace safety, and professional/craft-worker development. Since the craft training program launched in 2014, SEAA has established a nationwide network of 27 participating companies. “In 2014, we had a goal of having three training/ assessment locations implemented per year,” says incoming SEAA President, Geoff Kress. “We ended up with five that first year. As the network of accredited training and assessment sites grows, the more resources smaller companies have to provide quality training for their employees.” In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor-approved Ironworker Apprenticeship Standard provides members a tool to create and register formal apprenticeship programs that meet both State and Federal government requirements. Participation in registered apprenticeship programs allows merit shop contractors the ability to utilize government approved apprenticeship wage rates on Davis Bacon Wage Projects. Kress, who owns Gardner-Watson Decking, Inc., a full-service, metal roof decking company headquartered in Oldsmar, Florida, and who is a former Board member and Treasurer of SEAA, believes that the greater the availability of training programs, the stronger the steel erection industry will be in the future, as the current generation of workers retire. “Most of these companies are run by Baby Boomers,” he notes. “Some of these craft professionals are going to be gone in five, six, seven years. So, it’s very important to reach out and teach the younger generation. In addition to ironworker training, the association has programs for welding, shop fabrication, reinforcing steel, rigging, and crane operation. The money in these fields is incredible for a young person just starting out in construction. Beyond these skilled trades, there are opportunities to continue on a career path