TAUC Attends White House Apprenticeship Event; Signs Pledge to Encourage More Training and Recruitment

November 7 2018

The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC) participated in a special event at the White House with President Donald Trump on October 31 to highlight the importance of apprenticeship programs. TAUC also signed the White House's "Pledge to America's Workers" and committed to working with its 2,000 member contractor firms to hire 250,000 new apprentices over the next five years.

President Trump created the Pledge in July to encourage companies and trade association to educate and train more workers. Since then more than 160 groups, including TAUC, have signed the Pledge.

Representing TAUC at the White House was President Jake Locklear, President and CEO of APM and the APCOM family of companies. "The Pledge is a great opportunity for TAUC member firms to join our labor partners and the President in highlighting the value of apprenticeship and other training programs for job opportunity and economic growth," Locklear said. "Our TAUC presence at the White House is also another step forward in our strategy to be a player in government affairs."

Accompanying Locklear to the White House were three building trades craftworkers, all of whom have benefited enormously from their apprenticeship training: Kyle Cochran of IBEW Local 26 (and the 2018 TAUC Craftperson of the Year); Bill Gordon, Ironworkers Local 5; and Nick Brockman, with Millwrights Local 2158.

"Workforce development and apprenticeship training are the lifeblood of the union construction and maintenance industry," said Steve Lindauer, CEO of TAUC. "We understand that apprentices represent our collective future. If we don't recruit the best people, we will fail, plain and simple – and failure is not an option. That's why contractors and unions dedicate so much time and effort to our privately funded apprenticeship training programs."

WATCH THE WHITE HOUSE EVENT HERE