Workforce Development Initiatives in Houston October2006

Houston Business Roundtable Non-profit Business Association. Organized in 1973 as an association of construction users to be the Owner’s voice in the construction industry. The Mission of HBR is to develop, share and promote best practices that improve industry performance in areas of safety, health, environment, workforce skills, work quality, productivity and costs. 26 Owner Member Companies – Including most of the major refining and petrochemical companies in the greater Houston area (including Texas City and Freeport areas) 111 Subscribers – Including most of the major industrial contractors Workforce focus is on Contractor Craft Labor

Workforce Development in Houston Area Workload Projections Future Skill Shortages Workforce Development Resources in Houston CMEF Training Statistics Current Initiatives in Houston Future Plans and Ideas

HBR Craft Labor Forecast

Forecast Comparison

Future Workload Expectations HBR member company workload expected to be high for next two years Golden Triangle Business Roundtable predicts the need for 20,000 additional craft persons to build Motiva and Valero refineries, LNG projects and offshore work Eleven new power plant projects planned for East Texas Recovery and rebuilding in hurricane impacted areas has and will continue to draw some labor from Houston

HBR Key Points of Agreement Voluntary Agreement recommending that Owners; Use Contractors that are committed to Workforce Development. Pre-qualify and audit to verify. Endorse the NCCER/NCCCO skills programs. Require craft persons to become qualified through formal or upgrade training, certified through written testing and performance verified in the field or lab. Maintain >10% of all site craft positions for helper-trainees. Include six cents per hour for all site hours in all labor contracts to support CMEF’s education and credentialing programs. Apply the KPA to all Maintenance, Construction and Turnaround work.

National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) NCCER is a non-profit education foundation that develops and maintains industry driven standardized craft training programs with portable credentials. 28 different Craft Curriculums and Skills Assessment tests (written) and 18 Craft Performance Verifications (demonstration of skills). Houston Contractors played a major role in creating and funding NCCER and supplying Subject Matter Experts for program development. Board of Trustees include representatives from several major Houston Contractors and Owner Companies, including Fluor, KBR, Zachry, ExxonMobil and Shell Forty percent of all NCCER training and skills assessments have been administered in the greater Houston area.

Construction/Maintenance Education Foundation (CMEF) Created by HBR and ABC more than ten years ago, replacing the former Merit Shop Trust. Non-profit Education Foundation and the accredited Training Sponsor of NCCER programs in Houston. Collects and distributes funding and administers formal and upgrade training and skills assessment programs. Audits all programs and submits records for NCCER credentialing purposes.

Current Training & Credentialing Programs Formal NCCER training for helper-trainees is available at night at five area community colleges - Lee, San Jacinto North & Central, Houston Community and College of the Mainland. Upgrade training for journey-level craft workers available at HASC or at Plant Sites large enough to justify Written Skills Assessments administered at three Safety Councils - HASC, TCCSC, ISTC Baytown and at CMEF Office and on-site. Performance Verifications completed at work sites with Accredited Evaluator. PV Lab at Lee College has been piloted for Electricians. The goal is for all industrial craft persons to be trained and become certified-plus, i.e., pass the written Skills Assessment test and complete Performance Verification

CMEF Statistics *Estimate Craft and Apprenticeship College Training Units *2006 Commercial Industrial Total Skill Assessments Administered Certified Written (Passed)

CMEF Statistics *Estimate Upgrade Training *2006 OCF – Onsite OFCF – Offsite (HASC) Basic Training for Future Craft Professionals75 Performance Verifications Performance Verified Certified Plus

Other Programs/ *2006 Electrical 4 hr. CE Course Graduation CMEF/HBR Scholarship High School Scholarship CMEF Statistics *Estimate

New Initiative - Basic Training for Future Craft Professionals Brings new recruits into construction and maintenance and provides accelerated initial basic training, including NCCER’s core modules (including soft skills), basic safety orientation, introduction to craft specific tasks and a formal mentoring program. Owners coordinate with site Contractors and commit to placing new recruits on site in a helper-trainee position expected to last one year. Contractors recruit qualified candidates for specific crafts, screen and hire prior to starting training and assign experienced person to mentor new recruit on site. Candidates attend two week, eight hour per day, Basic Training class and commit to continuing their craft training at a community college. Mentors meet with assigned trainee and receives day of training. Trainees are mentored and progress monitored for one year.

Basic Training for Future Craft Professionals Participating Contractors – Owners to Date Amber LP Austin Industrial Contech ISC Jacobs Field Services KBR LWL Protherm Services Turner Industries Zachry Construction Bayer DuPont ExxonMobil Houston Refining Lyondell Rohm & Haas Shell

Basic Training Trainees

June Pilot Class 23 of the original 27 Candidates are on the job and attending craft training classes. August Class 28 of the original 28 Candidates completed training and all but one are currently working on sites and attending craft training classes. Future Plans Class scheduled for Nov 27 – Dec 8 May expand to other colleges and hold classes more frequently Basic Training for Future Craft Professionals

August Basic Training Class

Texas Workforce Commission Grant HBR and CMEF initiated a Skills Development Fund Grant through Lee College for $780,279 and was approved for 18 months starting in September Grant will focus on craft training of incumbent workers and performance verification Will allow CMEF some budget freedom to support other initiatives

Greater Houston Construction Careers Initiative Joint HBR/ABC/CMEF Effort Formed to address craft workforce shortage Reduce duplication of effort Focused on attracting people into our industry and bringing people into the existing training pipeline of CMEF/NCCER programs

Construction Careers Executive Leadership Team (CCELT) Construction Careers Industry Marketing Committee (CCIMC) Construction Careers for Youth Committee (CCYC) Each team and committee has an Owner and Contractor co-chair Construction Careers Initiative Structure

Construction Careers Initiative Some Initial Ideas: Develop a centralized database of new recruits for construction and recycled workers that Contractors could access and search Develop effective marketing tools and materials that will emphasize careers in construction Two tiered approach for commercial & industrial Targeted recruiting – relationships (family, friends, associates), returning military, college drop-outs, underemployed (food service, etc.) Increase presence in area high schools Increase training scholarships at community colleges

Use of Non-English Workers Survey Results (March) Thirteen Owners responded and two Owners already allow non-English workers on site Several companies indicated they were considering this option Barriers identified – Safety procedures, training, signage, work permits, emergencies No company indicated they were planning to translate site training materials, plant signs, emergency communications, work instructions or work permits. The two companies that allow non-English workers require bilingual workers in crews. None are currently providing ESL for Contractors.

Non-English Workers, Follow-up Nine Owner companies met and most indicated they were seriously considering use of non-English workers and several have active task groups developing plans & requirements. The severe shortage of skilled labor is causing more companies to consider this option. Several companies indicated they were getting push-back from their safety departments. The member company that has been using non-English workers for years has applied this to all crafts but most have been soft craft workers. One of their contractors routinely has 10 to 20% non-English workers. They also reported that no incidents have occurred where non-English was a factor. Another member company reported they had just implemented a non- English program in July through their scaffolding contractor. They are very interested in determining if the Contractor can deliver skilled labor as promised. The group has asked HBR to be a clearing house of information about this issue. Plans are to meet again in December to check progress made.

Other Initiatives and Future Plans HBR sponsors an annual Excellence Award program to recognize Contractors and Owners that support and are actively involved in KPA and WD initiatives. ABC/CMEF/HBR is sponsoring a Construction Exhibition and Craft Championship at Lee College on October high school students are scheduled to attend. Solicit more TWC funding to support Basic Training classes and other training initiatives. HBR/ABC/CMEF are joining a larger coalition of Houston businesses, associations and colleges to address shortage of skilled workers in refining and petrochemical industry.

Other Initiatives Impacting Workforce North American Substance Abuse Program – Standardized industry program implemented in 2004 and now over 100,000 Contractor employees enrolled with 6% excluded from working at participating Owner sites due to non-negative results. North American Background Screening Consortium - being developed between Houston, Baton Rouge & New Orleans with plans to implement in early Data from other programs already implemented indicate that 5 to 10% of workforce might be excluded from participating sites.