IMPACT and the National Training Fund are pleased to announce the completion of two new ironworker training packages: Layout Instruments for Ironworkers and Mathematics for Ironworkers. The training packages include a reference manual, instructor guide, instructor DVD and a student workbook.

The 2010 North American Iron Workers / IMPACT Labor-Management Conference is now in the books. Let us take a moment to reflect on the week of February 21-25 as we look forward to new challenges and opportunities in the year ahead.

Under a new "National Training Partnership" with the Ironworkers International Union, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will help revise existing steel erection training materials developed by the industry and urge its compliance officers to undertake the training, says OSHA deputy administrator Jordan Barab.

The construction unemployment rate jumped to 27.1 percent and construction employment dropped to a 14-year low as another 64,000 construction workers lost jobs in February, according to federal employment figures released March 5th. The economy would have added jobs for the third time in four months had it not been for the declines in construction employment, the Associated General Contractors of America noted.

The Iron Workers International and Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust (IMPACT) will hold its 3rd annual North American Iron Workers / IMPACT Labor-Management Conference at the Buena Vista Palace Hotel in Lake Buena Vista, Florida February 21-25, 2010.

Ironworkers have been erecting wind turbines for many years and as this sector continues to grow there is an increasing need for worker certifications in several areas including tower climbing/rescue and torque and tension training. IMPACT is now making training in these areas available.

A $3.72-million federal stimulus grant awarded to the Providence Plan, a local nonprofit organization focused on social and economic advancement, will help pay for green jobs training for about 1,600 Rhode Islanders.

President Obama and Vice President Biden announced last month that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is awarding $8 billion to states across the country to develop America's first nationwide program of high-speed intercity passenger rail service. Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), these dollars will help create jobs and transform travel in America.

As "green" construction grows in importance and the creation of "green" jobs becomes more of a key component of federal and state stimulus funds, Ironworkers need a broader understanding of their specific roles in this emerging market sector.

Over the past 25 years, the annual Ironworker Instructor Training Program has been held in California, 23 years of which were at the University of San Diego campus. The National Training Fund (NTF) Labor and Management Trustees have voted unanimously to move the program to Washtenaw Community College (WCC) and Eastern Michigan University near Ann Arbor, Michigan beginning this year. The vote to relocate followed a site visit to the campuses by the management trustees and NTF staff.