Vaughn Construction was pleased to accept a certificate of accreditation from the Construction Career Collaborative (C3) to mark our ninth year as a C3-accredited employer. C3 aims to attract and retain quality craft workers to create the sustainable workforce needed to support the future of the construction industry.
It is no secret that Vaughn is a proud advocate of the C3 alliance. C3 operations administrator Serafina Rodriguez said, “Thank you for your dedication to making a difference in the commercial construction industry! Your C3 accreditation shows that you care about the safety and skill level of the craft professionals that represent your company. Your determination to provide high-quality work through your craft workforce benefits your workers, your company, your project owners, and the entire commercial construction industry, both now and for future generations.” But, our support for C3 is not limited to our status as an accredited employer. Our relationship with the alliance extends all the way back to its inception.
Image: C3-designated Texas Health and Human Services, John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center project.
Since the mid-1980s, many construction companies have been participating in unsustainable hiring practices, misclassifying employees, and treating craft workers like a commodity. This industry-wide pattern helped create an unprecedented shortage of skilled craft workers, which has only worsened over time. Faced with the challenge of filling this need for competent workers, three Houston-area construction leaders came together in the 2000s to identify a solution. At the time, Vaughn Construction’s current chairman Tom Vaughn was the incoming board chair of the Houston Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC - Houston). He worked with incoming AGC vice chair Jim Stevenson and AGC CEO Jerry Nevlud to address not only the short-term goal of attracting available craft workers to projects, but also the long-term goal of transforming the construction industry into an attractive environment for skilled laborers. In 2009, with the help of numerous other individuals and the financial support of the Marek organization, the Career Construction Collaborative was established.
Originally part of the AGC, C3 is now an independent, self-funded organization. Today, C3 is a nonprofit, labor-neutral alliance between Owners, general contractors, specialty contractors, design professionals, and industry associations. Through training and consultation, C3 helps craft workers work and grow in a safe environment. To become C3 accredited, firms like Vaughn agree to provide craft personnel with hourly and overtime pay, W-2 employee status, worker’s compensation insurance, OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 training, opportunities for skills training, and defined career paths. Benefits like these encourage better craft worker engagement and better-quality work in the short-term, and they also support long-term growth in the craft workforce.
Image: C3-designated University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, The Woodlands Regional Cancer Care Center project.
Vaughn has seen firsthand how C3 can help craft workers feel like valuable assets to our team, which in turn boosts morale, safety, quality, and more. We have managed several successful C3-designated projects, including the Texas Health and Human Services, John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, The Woodlands Regional Cancer Care Center projects. When asked about her experience working on a C3-designated project, one Vaughn project manager said, “I definitely have noticed a difference working on a C3 designated jobsite. Employees take ownership for jobsite safety, they enjoy their work more because they are paid fairly, and overall morale is boosted across the project.”
Our relationship with C3 has helped us WOW our clients, provide life changing opportunities for our people, and create an atmosphere where our people are proud to work. We will continue to pursue C3-designation on our projects and maintain our status as a C3 accredited employer, and we urge Owners and contractors alike to deliver their projects under C3’s sustainable workforce model.