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The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) applauds action taken recently by President Donald Trump to sign the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. In the last week of July, both the House of Representatives and Senate passed the legislation, which reauthorizes the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act that provides federal support to state and local career and technical education (CTE) programs. The law provides $1.3 billion annually for CTE programs across the country.

Earlier this year, the number of job openings in the U.S. exceeded the number of job seekers for the first time since the federal government began tracking the data in 2000. As the gap between the number of jobs posted and the number of available workers has grown, policymakers have looked for ways to help individuals gain the knowledge and skills needed to compete for in-demand jobs.

Read the full press release here.

(Photo Credit: Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation)

(Source: Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation , August 2018)

In the woods of central Maine, trees are gaining value by the minute, and lumber producers aren't waiting a second. They are scrambling to expand production, build new facilities and hire more workers.

Lumber prices soared over 60% since early 2017, thanks to a perfect storm that hit Canadian supply. First tree-eating beetles, then forest fires, transportation issues involving a shortage of trucking and rail cars, and finally, last fall, U.S. duties imposed on Canadian lumber that amount to a 20% tax on the commodity.

It all adds up to opportunity in the eyes of Jason Brochu, co-president of Pleasant River Lumber, which operates two mills in Maine, employing 300 workers.

(Source:  Diana Olick , CNBC.com, July 2018)