New COVID-19 restrictions are already affecting the craft worker pipeline, forcing many apprenticeship and training programs to be shuttered or severely limited. Programs are turning to online resources, on-the-job training and socially distanced classes to continue critical workforce development.
In Washington, training programs are reopening after the state issued new safety rules for higher education in early May, says David D’Hondt, executive vice president of the Associated General Contractors chapter. Apprenticeship enrollment was at an all-time high before the shutdown in March, he notes.