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Can Alaskans Keep Up With The Growing Construction Industry?A program in Anchorage is looking to get more Alaskans prepared for the workforce with the help of job training.Related Content
A program in Anchorage is looking to get more Alaskans prepared for the workforce with the help of job training.
The Anchorage Construction Academy was created back in 2006 when the Alaska State Legislature awarded a $1 million grant to start the pilot project to help Alaskans learn skills to help them land a permanent job in the construction industry. In 2010, 16,000 workers earned a living in the construction industry, with an average annual salary of $60,000. As more projects pop up across the state, Alaskans are being overlooked in the hiring process because of their qualifications, according to state Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau. “We’d like to see Alaskans get prepared, get the training they need so they can take those jobs and stay here in Alaska, make a good living, and provide for their families,” said Mike Tucker, a carpentry instructor with the academy. The academy is a short-term free training program that is open to anyone interested in learning a new trade. “It gives them a chance to try out the trade,” Tucker said, providing a way for them to “get that entry-level job.” More than 650 people have graduated from the program, and many of them have gone on to pursue careers in their respective trades. “If we don't get the training started before these projects hit, then the jobs are going to the to the folks that are going to come up from outside,” he said. The deadline to apply for the next academy is Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. |
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AK said on Wednesday, Sep 7 at 11:22 AM
The construction industry is fickle especially when we live in a second-class state that is crippled by being dependent on one major dying industry (oil) and one minor dying industry (non-luxury tourism), and outright refuses to expand its horizons because of blue-collar culture stigma that for some reason says "oil or nothing". Alaska needs to relax and realize there have been plenty of places in the world where efforts to put people into construction jobs and expand those companies worked against them because as soon as the construction demand erased because of industry faults, all of that gain was for nothing and you end up with an inactive construction workers who need jobs all over again. Alaska MUST expand non-monopolized education, luxury tourism, sophisticated technology centers, and contemporary arts in order for the state to survive and become self-sufficient instead of always needing backwater assistance.
73501621AK Jobhunter said on Wednesday, Sep 7 at 2:46 PM
Let me enlighten those whom do not know.Companies that have the grip on jobs in this state are so infested with state rapers it is pathetic.I myself have been out of work since last December and only had 6 mos of work in 2010. I was laid off in 2009 with the rest of the in-state-rs from a crew on the north slope that kept all the guys from South Dakota. Even hired their relatives with no experience to fill our spots. Another company checked all the older workers with a fit for duty test of coarse all of the out of state workers that worked for them on the slope only had to do the turn your head and cough.So the moral to the story is step into someones shoes that has 35 years experience in this states oil and construction industries.And see how hard it is to convince someone to let you work for half of what your used to making.I would love to send all of them packing back to where they come from
73511689Steve said on Thursday, Sep 8 at 6:37 AM
Happiness is a Texan going home with an Oakie under each arm.
73539248Anonymous said on Thursday, Sep 8 at 9:35 AM
welcome to alaska, the good ol-boys club. and your not in it! lots of corruption and theft here.
73548779just me said on Thursday, Sep 8 at 1:19 PM
Most business in america is based on fraud and lies, along with theft.
73561431cooljulie said on Friday, Sep 9 at 12:31 AM
The construction industry in Alaska isn't exactly 'growing'. I've been involved with one of the largest private contrators in the state for the last 10 years. Our work load is steady but not expanding. Out of state people get hired for many reasons, least of which is a lack of locals with job skills. Many skilled workers who are Alaskans have felony convictions, substance abuse problems, and overall poor self-discipline. THAT is why they get laid off first, or not hired at all. Our unemployment rate is low compared to the outside, but those who aren't working need to look in the mirror and ask themselves why. If you are a solid employee with good skills, and get passed up for a job that goes to an outsider, file a complaint with the Dept of Labor.
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