The new president of the SEAA sets goals for ironworker recruitment and retention

According to Cilley, during the economic boom of the early 2000s, the construction industry was focused on the need to recruit a new workforce. "We need to refocus our strategy to educate parents and school counselors about the good career paths ironworking and steel erection offer."

The first step to develop qualified workers is to establish training and apprenticeship programs. "Last year was the first time that millennials (born between 1980 and 2000) surpassed baby boomers as the nation's largest living generation," Cilley said. "Millennials want to drive innovation and we are instrumental in projects that make a real difference in people's lives: hospitals, schools, research centers, museums."