breaking workforce development ini- tiative continues to gain momentum and advance its vision of creating a steady, motivated and skilled workforce pipeline for California’s construction industry. On the frontlines of that effort is an energetic and enthusiastic team from AGC of California (AGC) and the Con- struction Education Foundation (CEF), who work hand-in-hand with a growing network of dozens of industry-affiliated “ambassadors” who champion Build California across the state. Build California’s success to date
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is reflected in the numbers. As of May 2022, the program assembled a data- base of more than 600 individuals who are on track to be placed in pre-ap- prenticeships, apprenticeships and/ or construction related college de- gree programs statewide. Te program has educated and introduced career pathways to more than 14,080 12- to 24-year-olds through its participation and outreach at career fairs, indus- try events, school events, classroom presentations and its one-year-old e-cademy. And it garnered over 24 million views and impressions across its social media platforms, including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
From ‘Awareness to Action’ Senior Build California Manager Abigail Palomares pointed out that the work Build California undertook during its first two years to raise awareness among students, their parents, educators and the public about diverse construction
s Build California enters its third year with a strong return to in-person out- reach events, the ground-
career opportunities laid the ground- work for the current shift from “aware- ness to action.” Te emphasis in year three: placing individuals directly into pre-apprenticeships, apprenticeships and/or construction related college degree programs and building a strong pipeline that actively brings new work- ers into the industry. “We’re really excited about the next
year, to be able to follow our students’ success stories and see them go through that pipeline and follow them as they move through the industry workforce development pipeline,” Palomares said. “We’re looking to continue to reach more students, continue to build out our ambassador program and continue to increase our momentum.” Te first half of 2022 saw a major uptick in Build California’s in-person events. Palomares and Build Califor- nia K12 Outreach Coordinator Katie Dunn work in concert to continuously promote the industry through middle and high school visits, career fairs, and a host of other outreach events in all corners of the state. In March alone, Build California reached over 1800 students at Northern and Central California events.
Large Social Media Presence Build California’s diverse social media programming includes ongoing “Day in the Life” segments, in which industry professionals take over the program’s Instagram account to showcase what a typical day looks like on their job. A software engineer, an electrician and an operating engineer were among those featured in early 2022, with more career professionals slated to host segments in coming months. Te program has also continued its
groundbreaking #IYouWe Instagram Live series that champions diversity, equity and inclusion in construction. Tis May, the series addressed the topic of equitable sustainability and featured a Q&A session with a sustainability manager from Turner Construction.
Ambassadors Making a Big Impact
Picking up steam in 2022, Build Cali- fornia’s ambassador program engages and trains diverse volunteers from all sectors of the industry. Tese profes- sionals work in tandem with AGC staff to spread the word about the advantag- es of choosing a career in construction. “It’s made an impact both with the
students and educators that we work with, as well as the industry folks,” Palomares said. “We have industry leaders who are very excited to give back and who want to be part of some- thing bigger that is ultimately going to change the future of our industry. Our ambassador program has really helped Build California spark enthusiasm and interest statewide.” Ambassadors receive intensive,
up-front training that teaches them about the Build California program and equips them with the resources to effectively represent the program at outreach events. Tis year the program even conducted companywide ambas- sador training for multiple individuals at Underground Construction and XL Construction. Currently, there are over 60 ambas- sadors for Build California representing 27 different AGC of California member companies. Each has made a year-long commitment to support the program by participating in outreach events. California Constructor talked with two
CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR JULY-AUGUST 2022
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