The Construction Education Foundation was created for a simple purpose:  To assure that the Alaska Construction workforce is adequate in terms of numbers and quality to meet the needs of contractors. 

Through our partnerships with other business organizations, educational institutions, training providers and native organizations we have developed a model which should help provide entry level workers to the construction industry.  Through our scholarship programs, we are attempting to assist the future construction managers with the cost of the college both in Alaska and at schools outside the state. And through our support of the academic programs at the University of Alaska, we are attempting to assure that these programs remain relevant to the needs of the industry.

At the Construction Education Foundation, we continue to provide the industry training through short courses. Staff is constantly reviewing the course offerings to determine how well they meet the needs of the industry. The staff listens to requests from the industry for courses and then checks to determine if the course offering would meet a critical need of those in the industry.

As the Construction Education Foundation evaluates the workforce problem in Alaska, it must consider three factors that influence the problem. The first is the natural growth of the industry. The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development currently predict that Alaska will face a decline in the number of construction workers in the immediate future.

The second factor is the retirement of workers from the industry.  Many of today’s construction workers started during the pipeline and are expected to retire shortly.

The third factor is the dependence the state has on non-resident construction workers. Presently almost twenty percent of the construction workforce is not a resident of the State.  The State’s goal is to reduce that number to ten percent.

When the factors are combined, it shows that there will be a continued need for new workers in the industry. It is the goal of the Foundation to have the workers ready when and where they are needed.

~~ Steve Christopher, President/CEO