Construction Industry Comes Together to Address Labor Shortage
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Dennis Medo, president, TBG Education Foundation
All of us in the building industry know that we are facing a severe shortage of skilled craft professionals. To solve the labor shortage problem, we must come together to present a unified and powerful brand that draws today’s youth and others to our industry. In our state, that brand is Project Build Minnesota.
PBM is housed under the umbrella of the TBG Education Foundation and is directed by a coalition of construction industry leaders who have come together with a goal of making construction a ‘first career choice’ for Minnesotans. To date, several associations representing builders and contractors have stepped forward with startup capital to begin this effort, and we’ve reached that all-important milestone of having a product to present to the market.
We’ve also built out a powerful three-year marketing plan that’s designed to make a difference in attracting today’s youth to our industry. We’ve already begun some elements. For example, Project Build Minnesota and the Builders Association of the Twin Cities both had booths at the recent Minnesota School Counselors Association conference.
In addition, several of the involved organizations provide scholarships to youth seeking additional technical training and many are already speaking at career days and networking with schools. But that’s just a small part of this comprehensive plan to create the Project Build Minnesota brand.
We’re ready to launch a major statewide campaign over multiple years, and to do so, we need your help!
We are asking the housing industry for a financial contribution to TBG Education Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, to launch PBM into the marketplace and start changing minds about construction careers.
Once launched, we envision contractors and vendors across the state promoting this effort on their websites, on their social media platforms, and even with logos on trucks. The opportunities are endless.
As the President of the TBG Education Foundation, I wanted to share with our industry what we are seeking to accomplish and see if you are interested in supporting our effort. We are trying to raise funds now. Please don’t hesitate to call me with immediate questions at 651-389-1043 or email me at mailto:dmedo@tbgedu.org.
Contributing organizations so far include Builders Association of the Twin Cities, BATC Foundation, The Builders Group, TBG Education Foundation, Minnesota Builders Exchange, Associated Building Contractors, Minnesota Utility Contractors Association and Builders Association of Minnesota. In addition, several private industry partners are supporting the effort and the numbers are growing. We welcome your support.
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