ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE:


BRIDGING AMERICA’S GAP


BY: ANASTASIA SASEWICH


In coming years, more than 20 million skilled trade workers will retire from the American workforce—leaving gaping holes in the fabric of manufacturing, infrastructure, engineering, mechanics, healthcare, and more. In the United States, there are currently 10 million young people who will enter the workforce, all potentially qualified to enter these industries. Tat leaves the gulf between the jobs that need to be filled and the number of workers needed to fill them wider than ever, and growing.


Tis equation is a familiar one for Brett Melvin, founder and executive director of Bridging America’s Gap (BAG)—a national workforce development program diligently making an effort to connect the workers of tomorrow with the skilled-trade organizations of today. Melvin began working to address the skills gap dilemma in the crane and rigging industry in 2014 when he was selected by the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association to help develop and lead what would eventually become Lift & Move USA—an industry-led organization aimed at closing the skills gap in the crane, rigging, and specialized transportation industries. As Melvin worked to develop Lift & Move, he saw that the crane and rigging industry isn’t unique in the workforce challenges it faces. A seed was planted and an idea began to take shape. As Melvin knew, and the people he worked with as part of Lift & Move


34


SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2019


WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE


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