Key Tenets

Contractor Craft Workforce Development Key Tenets

We, the Owner members of the Industry Business Roundtable (IBR), recognize the value of a skilled, knowledgeable, and experienced craft workforce to improve the safety, efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of our industry. We are committed to supporting and assuring an adequate supply of qualified workers in the future. Benefits have been measured in safety performance, productivity, work quality and rework, turnover, unexcused absences, morale, and employer loyalty. We also support a community approach to craft workforce development through the Construction and Maintenance Education Foundation (CMEF) and the collaborative efforts of Owner and Contractor companies. IBR owners wish to encourage and recognize workforce development excellence within the contractor community. Accordingly, the owner members of the IBR endorse the following tenets for Owners and Contractors:

1. Preferential consideration should be given to construction, maintenance and turnaround Contractors who demonstrate a commitment to developing their craft employees and improving their skills by:
   • training all sub-journey level craft persons (at least 50 classroom hours per year) and require module completion and encourage graduation through an approved apprentice or craft training program;
   • providing upgrade training to all journey level craft persons that have identified deficiencies through an approved skills assessment program requiring that all journey level craft persons become qualified through an approved knowledge and performance verified assessment process.
2. Owners should be committed to workforce development as a key factor for both pre-qualification and ongoing performance evaluation of construction, maintenance, and turnaround contractors as well:
   • Pre-Qualification – Owners should evaluate a contractor’s overall corporate workforce development program including its workforce development plans regarding craft training, skills knowledge and performance verifications identified by journey, sub-journey trainee, and apprentice or helper categories.
   • Recruitment – Owners should commit to maintaining a balance of at least 10% apprentices or subjourney level trainees within the Contractor workforce to encourage Contractor recruitment and development of new craft workers into industry.
   • Site Contractor Auditing – Owners should require periodic reporting and evaluation of sub-journey level craft training and journey level skills upgrade training programs that include knowledge and performance verification status of all contract craft workers at our work sites.
3. We fully endorse CMEF’s Training Contributor Agreement (TCA), where applicable, and encourage contractors to make a formal commitment to that program. Further, we endorse:
   • Inclusion of construction, maintenance, and turnaround contracts with TCA contractors at a minimum contribution of $0.06 per OSHA 300 log work hour to help fund community-based craft recruiting, training and placement programs.
   • Monthly reporting by TCA contractors to CMEF of all OSHA 300 log work hours worked and eligible craft hours worked by each TCA contractor at our plant and job sites.
   • Owner companies should perform quarterly auditing of TCA contractors to confirm funding is provided to community-based craft training programs in accordance with the CMEF Training Contributor Agreement (TCA).
   • Quarterly reporting by CMEF to the IBR Contractor Workforce Development Committee and semi-annual reporting to the IBR Operating Committee regarding the number of eligible work hours worked by TCA contractors at our plant and job sites versus the number of work hours for which the contribution has been collected.
   • Direct funding of CMEF by Owners or passing those funds through Contractors for remittance to CMEF.
4. This "Key Tenets for Contractor Workforce Development" document will be reviewed at least bi-annually by the IBR Executive Director, CMEF Vice President and presented to IBR Operating Committee for approval of any changes.

Key Tenets for Contractor Workforce Development

Definitions

Eligible Work Hours

All construction, maintenance, and turnaround work hours as listed on the OSHA 300 log (includes timekeepers, supervision, safety personnel, etc.).

Trainees or Apprentices

Sub-journey level craft persons who are enrolled in approved craft training programs (NCCER or other approved curriculum).

Journey Craft Persons

Experienced craft persons, typically with four or more years of field experience and are expected to have completed approved training in their chosen craft and/or have been knowledge and performance verified.

Approved Knowledge and Performance Verification Processes

• The approved program for open shop contractors is the NCCER skills assessment program
• For crafts where there are no approved (NCCER) skill assessments yet available, documentation by the contractor on how worker skills are assessed is required
• For assessments not yet developed by NCCER, it is expected that employees will be assessed within one year after the assessment becomes available
• Skills assessment results in a training prescription and upgrade training
• Skills assessments are intended for trained craft workers with typically 4 or more years' industrial experience in targeted craft. Workers with less than the typical 4 years’ industrial experience should be enrolled in an approved craft training program

Training Prescription

A summary based on the results of an assessment or testing procedure with the intention of directing the tester to specific skills gaps where more training may be necessary.

Graduation

Completion of all levels of any NCCER craft training program and / or completion of any CMEF approved specialty training program.

Knowledge and Performance Verifications Currently Available through NCCER

Contractor Craft Workforce Development Key Tenets