Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee released a new report, which found that expanding registered apprenticeship programs will expand the pipeline of workers into higher-paying jobs while also meeting the needs of employers.

Associated Builders and Contractors announced Oct. 7 that it has named John Mielke as its senior director of apprenticeship. The former ABC Wisconsin chapter president will provide strategic direction, transformational leadership and innovative education solutions to ABC’s 67 chapters, 23,000 members and their apprenticeship trusts nationwide.

Ware Malcomb announced Oct. 1 that Nick Watkins has joined the firm as director of workplace strategy. In this role, Watkins will lead Ware Malcomb’s strategy and change management services for clients in multiple practice areas across the firm.

On Sept. 24, Shirley Wodynski marked a significant milestone, celebrating 16 years of dedicated service as executive director of the Ceilings and Interior Systems Construction Association.

Sika has broken ground on a 29,000-square-foot admixture production plant, which is expected to be in operation in late-2025.

Technical Glass Products has a new architectural services manager role to support glazing design along the East Coast of the U.S. and in the Ontario and Quebec territories of Canada.

The New York chapter of Professional Women in Construction, a nonprofit organization that supports career-minded women and works to promote diversity within the architecture, engineering, construction and related industries, held its annual Salute to Women of Achievement on Sept. 18, recognizing professionals at the highest levels of the AEC industry.

S-5!, together with National Women in Roofing, is sponsoring a new scholarship program to empower women who wish to pursue educational opportunities in the skilled trades. The initiative aims to support women in their journey toward successful careers in the trades and contributing to the overall advancement of the construction industry.

ClarkDietrich announced on Oct. 1 the acquisition of Studs Unlimited, effective immediately.

Imagine training employees with a virtual reality, audio-visual headset that puts them on the job, inside a realistic house, with saws buzzing, hammers tapping and birds chirping. That is the concept behind an industry-leading virtual reality training program sponsored by Owens Corning.