Related Links: Construction Industry Learning Goes Borderless Industry Commits to Hire 100,000 Military Veterans We are facing a shortage of skilled workers. We hear that message almost daily. Many reports say the shortages are already here. We have heard the reasons: an aging work force, letting 30% of our people go during the recent downturn, a weak immigration policy, bad industry image and students unaware of construction career opportunities. The time to focus on solutions is now.The shortage must be solved at the local level, but first we need a national strategy. In mid-February, President Barack Obama wrote a letter

We are facing a shortage of skilled workers. We hear that message almost daily. Many reports say the shortages are already here. We have heard the reasons: an aging work force, letting 30% of our people go during the recent downturn, a weak immigration policy, bad industry image and students unaware of construction career opportunities. The time to focus on solutions is now. The shortage must be solved at the local level but first we need a national strategy. In mid-February, President Obama wrote a letter of apology to Ann Johns, an art history professor at the University of Texas.The last