500,000 Jobs are ready to be filled right now in the American construction industry

ABC's Annual Impact:

  • $1.1 Billion invested by ABC members in workforce training
  • 476,000 people trained

Many Pathways to Training for Success

At Associated Builders and Contractors, we believe in building people through the merit shop philosophy: that projects and personal advancement should be awarded based on performance, skill and achievement. ABC has been setting the standard for safety, quality and integrity in the construction industry since 1950.

Learn more about ABC

800 Programs

70 ABC Chapters

Nationwide

Education

  • Our flexible, affordable craft and safety training leads to industry-recognized, national credentials for today’s leading construction positions. Together, we help individuals train, transform, and triumph as they pursue meaningful careers that advance their potential and build strong communities.

    Learn more about
    skilled trades

  • Founded in 1991 by ABC and leading contractors, NCCER is the industry’s source for craft training, assessment and certification. Today, NCCER develops standardized curricula and industry-recognized, portable credentials for more than 70 crafts that have been used in all 50 states and in 20 countries.

    Learn more about
    industry recognized credentials

  • ABC’s affiliated construction management schools are a dynamic network of universities and colleges offering post-secondary degrees that prepare students for success in construction project management.

    Construction
    Management Info

Safety

  • ABC members work to establish a culture that is passionate in the belief that all accidents are preventable and train the workforce to that culture throughout their careers. Member firms at the highest level of performance in ABC’s Safety Training Evaluation Process are 770% safer than the industry average.

    Read more about
    ABC's safety performance

Diversity

  • Though veterans account for 23 percent of trade and craft professionals at ABC member companies, more service men and women will be able to translate their skills into high-wage construction careers through connections to GI Bill education benefits, alignment with military training that fast-tracks qualifying for NCCER credentials, free online courses and more.

    Veteran
    opportunities

  • ABC members are committed to achieving a fully inclusive and culturally competent workforce that is welcoming to all people, where employees and suppliers are limited only by their own potential. Through the annual Diversity & Inclusion Summit, Diversity Resource Groups and the National Diversity Excellence Awards, ABC provides education and supports and recognizes success in achieving a diverse construction workforce.

    Women &
    minorities

Best of the Best

  • The Construction Management Competition challenges undergraduates from ABC student chapters across America in construction knowledge, time management and organizational and presentation skills. CMC champions are aggressively recruited by prospective employers as high-potential future leaders.

    Read more
    about CMC

  • The National Craft Championships draw some of the nation's most talented craft apprentices and journeymen to showcase their skills and compete on a national level, highlighting the important role that skilled trades education plays in the construction industry.

    Read more
    about NCC

Building America

  • ABC, its 70 chapters and its 21,000+ members are doing their part to train craft and management professionals using innovative and flexible learning models like just-in-time task training, competency-based progression, work-based learning and government registered apprenticeships to build a safe, skilled and productive workforce.

    Policymakers must commit an all-of-the-above strategy for workforce development where workers and employers have the freedom to choose the best way to provide value and build America.

    More about
    Building America