The construction business is booming in Southwest Washington, and associations are coming together to address the need for workers for a multitude of large construction efforts—including the City of Vancouver’s Waterfront Development Project. The result of this collaboration is the 2017-2019 Construction Workforce Plan, spearheaded by the Columbia-Willamette Workforce Collaborate.

Organizations like the Building Industry Association of Clark County, the Southwest Washington Contractors Association and Workforce Southwest Washington are just a few of the industry actors who collaborated over the past year and a half to create a plan to address the area’s construction workforce needs. The scale of this collaboration and resulting plan makes it the first of its kind in the region. It includes efforts to increase diversity, connect youth to training and improve retention of existing workers and apprentices.

For more information about these efforts, read the Vancouver Business Journal article, “Workforce Plan looks to increase diversity, retain workers,” and the full 2017-2019 Construction Workforce Plan. For resources and information to help build your workforce, contact Angel Swanson, Existing Buildings diversity lead, at 503.278.9440.