One Central Florida school district is helping to address the workforce shortage by partnering with the local home builders association and its foundation to provide career and technical training alongside its academic curriculum.

Polk County launched Career Academies in its high schools that provide small, personalized learning communities for career and technical training. These programs offer “multiple paths to success,” said Laura Webster, a teacher resource specialist and academy coach of workforce education at Polk County Public Schools.

The construction academies were developed in conjunction with a long-standing partnership between the Polk County School District and the Polk County Builders Association (PCBA) and its PCBA Foundation. There are currently six Polk County high schools utilizing the Home Builders Institute’s PACT curriculum, preparing students for careers in construction. Approximately 900 students graduated from the programs this past school year.

The workforce training program, and collective community support, has helped expand construction education throughout the county. “Polk County is in this together to help the industry and to help our youth,” said Jimmy Giles, lead instructor at Bartow High School’s Academy of Construction.

The students also benefit from the professional connections of their instructors. Although not a requirement, all current construction instructors have industry experience and partnerships with local contractors. “Central Florida is a hotbed for new construction and contractors can’t fill the void,” said Frank Waller, instructor at Lake Region High School. “Many contractors are willing to hire these students right out of high school.”

Construction instructors like Waller and Giles are working to expand mentorship, apprenticeship and employment opportunities for students. The District Advisory Council is also developing the idea of district-wide career fairs.

While COVID-19 disrupted some plans from fully developing this school year, those involved in the programs expect them to be back in full swing next year.

For more information about how NAHB is supporting the industry’s workforce development efforts, visit nahb.org.

The coronavirus pandemic has put a strain on the mental health of nearly everyone in the world. Economic uncertainty, forced solitude and worries about contracting the virus have increased stress levels in most adults.

But even before the pandemic, construction workers were particularly susceptible to mental health issues and suicide. More construction workers die by suicide each day than all workplace-related fatalities combined with a rate of 43.5 suicides per 100,000 workers, second only to the mining and oil/gas extraction industry.

Following a multi-year initiative to combat opioid misuse in home building, NAHB is launching a new effort focused on member mental wellbeing. Recent research suggests that industry associations have been overlooked as an agent for change, and that they have a role to play in promoting the importance of worker health and wellbeing to their member organizations.

To kick off this initiative, at the recent virtual Spring Leadership Meetings, Cal Beyer, Vice President of Workforce Risk & Worker Wellbeing at construction risk management firm CSDZ, spoke to members of the Construction Liability, Risk Management, and Building Materials Committee and the Construction Safety & Health Committee, which are spearheading the initiative.  During his presentation, “Focus on Workforce Wellbeing: What’s Under the Hardhat,” Beyer described some risk factors that may explain why construction workers are more prone to mental health issues and suicide.

Many skilled trade workers are perfectionists, a trait important to successful work performance. But when combined with deadlines and a physically demanding work environment, it can lead to escalating stress. Construction workers are also traditionally stoic about mental and physical health issues as it may lead to missed work and missed paychecks. Long hours, the cyclical and transient nature of the work, and financial pressure can also lead to mental strain.

While the health of the worker is the primary concern, mental wellbeing should be on the radar of company owners and managers. Stress can lead to illness and absenteeism and, of particular concern, presenteeism – being physically present at work but distracted and “half there.” A distracted worker is not a safe worker, to themselves and others. Beyer talked about understanding the different signs of stress – physical, psychological and behavioral.

Unfortunately, many construction companies have yet to incorporate mental health, substance abuse, addiction recovery, and suicide prevention into safety, health, and wellness culture and programs. A major reason for this gap is due to stigma.  Beyer concluded his remarks, however, by highlighting some of the positive steps the industry is taking to the promote workplace mental health awareness and reduce the stigma attached to mental health. Beyer and CSDZ have created resources for the construction industry to deal with stress and mental health issues, including resources for employers, a toolbox talk on self-care and suicide prevention resources.

Beyer and other mental health experts advise employers to create a workplace that promotes respect and to offer specific recommendations to all workers, including:

• Encouraging workers to talk to their families, friends and other trusted people in their lives about their problems
• Staying hydrated on the job site
• Eating well-balanced meals
• Spending leisure time in nature
• Setting limits on digital information intake, especially political news

Above all, employers should be open to listening to any concerns raised by workers about their stress levels or mental health issues.

NAHB has also joined the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP) in an effort to raise awareness of the prevalence of suicide in the construction industry. More information on the efforts of the Alliance and NAHB’s member mental wellbeing initiative will be forthcoming.

For any questions about NAHB’s mental wellbeing initiative, contact David Jaffe or Rob Matuga.

The following excerpts were recently published in NAHB’s bi-weekly e-newsletter Eye On the Economy by Chief Economist Robert Dietz:

Consistent with NAHB’s forecast, home building data are showing signs of leading an emerging economic rebound. While risks to the outlook remain, particularly in the form of local, rising virus spread and ongoing layoffs, the recession appears to have taken a short and sharp downturn…

…[In] May, single-family starts held at a flat annual rate of 675,000; however, single-family permits expanded by 12%. Multifamily permits for properties of five units or more are down more than 10% thus far in 2020, as concerns within the rental market continue due to elevated unemployment levels.

For home sales, new single-family home contracts jumped in May (676,000), posting a 13% year-over-year gain after a significant downward revision for the April estimate (revised to 580,000, marking a 25% decline from the pre-recession peak in January). Inventory fell to a sales-adjusted level of a 5.6-month supply. Levels below a 6-month supply generally support growth for new home building.

The increase in builder confidence, permits and sales all suggest construction gains are on the horizon. However, a medium-term concern for the housing market is whether the current strength in demand is an unlocking of deferred demand from early spring, or reflects the emerging trend for home buying as a growing number of prospective buyers are looking in small metro and exurban locations.

To subscribe to the Eye on the Economy e-newsletter, email communications@nahb.org.