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Pittsburgh Builders Step Up to the Plate for Skilled Workers

The working men and women were honored as part of “Skilled Trades Day” during a pre-game tribute that included recognition on the stadium’s scoreboard and a ceremonial throwing of the first pitch. The Labor Day ceremony was the kick-off event of the “Skills to Build America’s Future” initiative launched by DOL and the Skilled Trades Coalition to address the nationwide shortage of skilled workers.

About 50 members of BAMP, NAHB and NAHB Student Chapters participated in the event.

“Skilled workers are in demand now more than ever as the baby boom generation moves into retirement,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Emily DeRocco. “The best way to ensure a pipeline of workers entering the skilled trades is to encourage young people and transitioning workers to consider these jobs as future careers.”

The “Skills to Build America’s Future” initiative is a nationwide outreach and education effort to attract the next generation of workers to the skilled trades. According to DOL, over the next eight years, there will be nearly one million new jobs for these skilled workers — a 15% increase over current needs.

Partners in the initiative include NAHB and local associations, the Construction Industry Round Table, the National Heavy & Highway Alliance and its seven affiliated international unions, and DOL.

BAMP members participating in the event included Mark Lantz, of Cross Towne Builders, Inc. in Pittsburgh and Michael Schultz, Sr. of Pittsburgh-based Michael J. Schultz Construction.

Lantz is chairman of BAMP's Workforce Development Committee and a past president of the association. At BAMP, he helped create seven vocational school student chapters with more than 400 student members in the greater Pittsburgh area. Schultz, a custom home-builder for more than 37 years in the western Pennsylvania area, is a member of the NAHB Executive Board and a state representative.

John Auciello, the executive director of BAMP, helped organize the event for the local association.

In addition to the on-field activities, the “Skilled Trades Day” event included pre- and post-game radio advertising in the five-state area surrounding Pittsburgh, game day program advertising and an outreach video that debuted on the stadium’s Jumbotron scoreboard.

Similar baseball-related events are planned for a St. Louis Cardinals game on Saturday, Sept. 18, and a Pittsburgh Pirates game on Sept. 24.

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