Southeastern Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council President Nate O’Reilly joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed recruitment efforts by Joint Apprenticeship Training Committees (JATCs) to grow the size of their apprenticeship programs.
The Southeastern Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council represents 15 affiliated unions and 16,000 members in 14 counties.
The work outlook in Southeastern Minnesota is strong and the trades will be busy. O’Reilly said the JATCs are focused on recruitment and expanding their apprenticeship programs in order to meet the demand for skilled workers. He shared some strategies the JATCs use to recruit area high school and vocational school students, including the use of teams of recruiters to connect one-on-one with the students.
O’Reilly also talked about the busy work outlook for the Council’s affiliated local unions. Work is particularly strong in downtown Rochester due to the $6 billion expansion of the Destination Medical Center, which will make the area a global destination for healthcare, he added.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.