The Association for Construction Careers, Education and Support Services (ACCESS) recently named Adam Knoebel, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. vice president of operations, as president of the board of directors for the organization. ACCESS promotes the St. Louis-area construction industry workforce, diversity and economic growth.
Knoebel replaces Leonard P. Toenjes, president of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of St. Louis, who served as ACCESS president for seven years and remains on the board in the role of past president.
“Our goal is to continue the momentum created through Len’s leadership, making ACCESS the ‘go to’ organization to provide guidance and solutions for construction workforce issues in the St. Louis region,” Knoebel said. “We plan to continue building on our efforts to promote the region’s construction industry workforce and diversity development.”
The fundamental goal of ACCESS is to help a diverse group of workers in the St. Louis area find educational programs, training programs and services that can help them develop qualifications needed for a career in construction. ACCESS partners with a variety of area programs and agencies to provide services ranging from OSHA certifications and technical construction skills training to computational education and resume writing, as well as other needs.
“We believe the services ACCESS offers will help expand the labor resources available for a construction market on the rebound, while at the same time leveraging the strengths of our community organizations, training programs and contractors to help develop a diverse workforce aligning with the vibrant community in which we all live and work,” Knoebel said.
By maintaining contact with current and past clients, ACCESS helps connect qualified workers with contractors and trade organizations looking to hire in the construction trades or for enrollment in apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. With access to a broad array of demographic information, ACCESS also helps organizations tailor educational and training services, allows contractors to find workers in a given community, and helps industry leaders better understand the labor resources and experience levels available in the local construction market.
ACCESS does not compete with other workforce training and education programs but complements them by helping point workers to the right programs. ACCESS offers clients the following services:
- Orientation to the construction industry and information on all area programs and training opportunities available, including an assessment of the individual’s skills and qualifications.
- Referrals to ACCESS collaborative partners including unions, training programs, contractors and owners. ACCESS also keeps in touch with clients from the point of entry throughout their career to document the return on investment many construction consumers have made to diversify the industry.
- Identify and track qualified workers in the St. Louis area, including collecting and documenting demographic and industry-specific data on individuals.
- Act as a liaison between collaborative partners by providing them with client tracking and utilization information, referrals, resources and opportunities.
A governing board of directors runs the business of ACCESS. In addition, a bi-annual meeting is held with all collaborative partners to better understand the needs of local community partners and discuss how ACCESS can help to meet these needs.
ACCESS is funded directly with contributions from collaborative partners and companies in the greater St. Louis area. With limited state and city funding available, private contributions currently fund the majority of work ACCESS does and continued support is required to maintain the momentum gathered over the last few years.
“We are pleased to have Adam Knoebel as our new president,” said ACCESS Executive Director Terry Hampton. “McCarthy has supported ACCESS seamlessly since the organization’s inception and Adam has a sincere interest in the continued success of the organization.”
Hampton also thanked Toenjes, who has also been involved with ACCESS since the beginning, for his service.
Knoebel said that ACCESS would not be able to provide the educational support it does for St. Louis’ workers without the many organizations that have provided consistent support for ACCESS. These key organizations include AGC of St. Louis, MERS Goodwill, Metro, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., Washington University in St. Louis, Tarlton Corporation, Clayco Construction and Johnson Controls Inc.
To learn more about ACCESS contact Terry Hampton at 314-863-8889, visit the ACCESS Center at 700 Rosedale, Suite 1611, St. Louis MO 63112, or visit www.accessstl.com.
