As a leader in the construction industry, Swinerton is keenly aware of the shortage of a skilled workforce and the need for workforce development. In light of this need, Swinerton has developed our own workforce development program with the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), dedicated to the training, evaluation, and development of our craft workforce. NCCER is a nationally accredited program, recognized by the Department of Labor.

Swinerton’s NCCER Workforce Development Program

Led by Craft Talent Operations Director Angel Handlon and Craft Services Manager Kerry Swain, Swinerton’s Craft Services Talent Team will roll this program out from coast to coast. Craft Services will be using NCCER curriculum to train carpenters, drywall carpenters, laborers, and concrete in our non-union markets. The carpentry apprenticeship is a four-year program. The drywall and laborer apprenticeships are two-year programs.

Trainees receive credentials for each level they complete, and a transcript of the training provided. The credentials are nationally recognized, and trainees can access them even if they no longer work for Swinerton. In accordance with the Department of Labor requirements, apprentices receive raises as they progress through each level and are placed at a journey-level scale upon graduation.

Swinerton Business Partners in Colorado, Texas, and Seattle are all certified Master Trainers who will train the instructors for the program in addition to teaching some of the courses themselves. Instructors for the classes must be at a journey level in their respective trade. Instructors will primarily be Foremen, General Foremen, and Superintendents.

– Colorado Business Partner: Kerry Swain
– Seattle Business Partner: Brian Fenton
– Texas Business Partner: Jonathan Calderon

Colorado started training carpenters and drywall carpenters in June and Texas started training drywall carpenters in July, both recently completing their first semester. The training was initially scheduled to start in the spring, but due to COVID-19, it pushed into a “summer school” program. Classes included introductions to hand tools, material handling, construction math, and construction drawings. Both programs started their fall semester in September, while Seattle will begin instructing the first semester of their drywall carpentry and carpentry program later this year or in early 2021.

Swinerton Training Facilities

Colorado leased a warehouse in May and is building out part of it into a training center with a grand opening projected this fall. Texas’s warehouse training facility opened in Austin in August. Facilities will be used for classroom instruction and hands-on training in a shop atmosphere where trainees can develop the skills they need to become journeymen.

Number of Enrolled Craft Participants

• Colorado:
  • Currently has 13 apprentices in their level 1 programs
• Texas:
  • 12-15 Apprentices in the fall
  • 8-10 Craft laborers starting classes in the fall
  • 10 Foreman/Leaders starting Leadership training classes in the fall

In January 2021, we will have level 1 and level 2 programs going as a new class of entry-level apprentices join and the first-year students progress to level 2. Once fully up and running, the carpentry program will have four classes going on at any given time. The drywall and laborer program will each have two levels going at any given time.