BERJAYA

349,000 ADDITIONAL WORKERS

NEEDED TO MEET DEMAND IN 2026.

ABC member employees build the places where Americans live, learn, work, heal and play.

Meta, ABC and CBRE have partnered to provide a unique opportunity for individuals interested in launching a career in the construction industry by obtaining a data center construction technician credential. This intensive training program is designed to equip participants with the foundational skills, industry-recognized credentials and workplace readiness needed to pursue rewarding careers in construction. For decades, workforce pipelines have asked people to train first and hope for a job later. America's Workforce Academy inverts that model: Participants receive a job offer before training begins. This is the first guaranteed-employment training pipeline connecting Americans to artificial intelligence infrastructure jobs. America's Workforce Academy is Meta’s $115 million investment to train thousands of workers for AI infrastructure jobs.

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MANY SUCCESSFUL CAREER PATHWAYS

Construction Workforce Awards Winners

2026 Craft Instructor of the Year
Tatton Kilmer
Preconstruction Manager and Plumbing Instructor
ABC Southern California

2026 Craft Professional of the Year
Jason White
Mechanical Supervisor and Industrial Technician
The Cianbro Cos
ABC Maine

ABC 2026 Health and Safety Professional of the Year
Jennifer Ferdinand-Stong
Corporate Safety Manager
Gaylor Electric
ABC Indiana Kentucky

ABC 2026 Young Professional of the Year
Nyoki Mokeba
Corporate Director of Equipment Sourcing
Performance Contractors Inc.
ABC Pelican

Fox Business: Brady Woodel, HVAC service apprentice, chose trade school over a four-year college degree

At Associated Builders and Contractors, we believe in building people through the merit shop philosophy: that projects and personal advancement should be awarded based on performance, skill and achievement. ABC has been setting the standard for health and safety, quality and integrity in the construction industry since 1950.

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BUILDING AMERICA

ABC, its 67 Chapters and its 24,000+ members are doing their part to educate craft and management professionals using innovative and flexible learning models like just-in-time task training, competency-based progression, work-based learning and government registered apprenticeships to build a safe, skilled and productive workforce.

Policymakers must commit an all-of-the-above strategy for workforce development where workers and employers have the freedom to choose the best way to provide value and build America

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WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

ABC member companies use flexible, competency-based and market-driven education methodologies to build a construction workforce that is safe, skilled and productive. This all-of-the-above approach to workforce development has produced a network of ABC chapters and affiliates across the country that offer more than 800 apprenticeship, craft, safety and management education programs—including over 450 government-registered apprenticeship programs across 20 different occupations—to build the people who build America.

More Info Locate an ABC government-registered apprenticeship program

BEST OF THE BEST

The ABC Construction Management Competition is a hallmark competition that promotes careers in construction management. This competition gives the nation’s top construction management students a glimpse into the real world of construction, as well as an opportunity to showcase their talents.

EDUCATION

Our flexible, affordable craft and safety education leads to industry-recognized, national credentials for today’s leading construction positions. Together, we help individuals pursue meaningful careers that advance their potential and build strong communities.

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Founded in 1991 by ABC and leading contractors, NCCER is the industry’s source for craft education, assessment and certification. Today, NCCER develops standardized curricula and industry-recognized, portable credentials for more than 70 crafts that have been used in all 50 states and in 20 countries.

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The ABC National Student Chapter Network connects local ABC chapters to colleges and universities with construction management programs with the ultimate goal of building the construction management pipeline and mentoring future leaders of the industry.

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VETERANS

The HIRE Vets Medallion Program is an employer recognition program administered by the Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS). Through the program, VETS accepts voluntary applications from employers for the HIRE Vets Medallion Award beginning on January 31 of each calendar year. The Award recognizes employers who hire and retain veterans, including their efforts to establish employee development programs and veteran specific benefits to improve retention.

Detailed information about how to gain eligibility can be found at HIREVets.gov. An overall summary of the program follows.

HIRE VETS MEDALLION PROGRAM

More than half of ABC member contractors are actively recruiting active military personnel and veterans. Service men and women will be able to translate their skills into high-wage construction careers through connections to GI Bill education benefits, alignment with military training that fast-tracks qualifying for NCCER credentials, free online courses and more.

VETERAN OPPORTUNITIES