[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 216 (Friday, November 6, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71082-71085]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-24645]
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ADVISORY COUNCIL ON HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Notice of Adoption of Policy Statement on Promotion and Value of
Traditional Trades Training
AGENCY: Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
ACTION: Notice of adoption of policy statement on promotion and value
of traditional trades training.
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SUMMARY: The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation has adopted
Policy Statement on Promotion and Value of Traditional Trades Training.
DATES: The policy statement was adopted on October 19, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Address any questions concerning the policy statement to
Druscilla J. Null, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 401 F
Street NW, Suite 308, Washington, DC 20001.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Druscilla J. Null, (202) 517-1487,
dnull@achp.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation (ACHP), an independent federal agency created by the
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), works to promote the
preservation, enhancement, and sustainable use of our nation's diverse
historic resources, and advises the President and the Congress on
national historic preservation policy.
One of the ACHP's statutory duties under the NHPA is to encourage
training and education in the field of historic preservation. In
keeping with that mandate, at its November 7, 2019, business meeting,
the ACHP initiated discussions regarding traditional trades training.
America is suffering from a shortage of skilled workers in the
specialized traditional trades often required for historic preservation
projects. Expanding opportunities for traditional trades training would
be an important step in addressing this problem. Doing so is critical
to the maintenance of our nation's historic places and to filling jobs
that will help revitalize communities both physically and economically.
At its March 13, 2020, business meeting, the ACHP further explored
traditional trades training and discussed the possibility of creating a
task force to address the issue. The idea of developing a policy
statement on the topic also was discussed. On May 28, 2020, ACHP
Chairman Aimee Jorjani announced the creation of the ACHP Traditional
Trades Training Task Force (Task Force). One of its stated goals was to
develop recommendations for federal action that could be embodied in a
formal ACHP policy statement.
The Task Force includes representatives of several federal agencies
and individuals with historic preservation, education, and architecture
expertise. In addition to ACHP Chairman Jorjani and ACHP Vice Chairman
Rick Gonzalez, the following agencies and organizations are represented
on the Task Force: The Department of the Interior; Department of
Education; National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center;
National Park Service Western Center for Historic Preservation;
National Center for Preservation Technology and Training; National
Endowment for the Arts; National Trust for Historic Preservation;
Preservation Maryland; Savannah Technical College; and Turner
Restoration of Detroit.
Based on Task Force meeting discussions throughout the summer and
fall, ACHP staff developed a draft policy statement that was reviewed
by the Task Force. Based upon input on the outline, a draft of the
policy statement was developed and provided to both the Task Force and
the ACHP's standing Preservation Initiatives Committee for review.
Following further refinement, the draft policy statement was sent to
the full ACHP membership for review. The final version of the policy
statement was adopted by vote of the ACHP members on October 19, 2020.
The ACHP Policy Statement on Promotion and Value of Traditional
Trades Training discusses the need for and the benefits of expanded
traditional trades training; suggests key principles that should guide
federal, state, and local workforce development and training efforts;
and offers recommendations for action.
Text of the Policy Statement on Promotion and Value of Traditional
Trades Training
What follows is the text of the adopted policy statement:
ACHP Policy Statement on Promotion and Value of Traditional Trades
Training
Quality restoration work on historic buildings requires skilled
workers in the traditional trades. Masons, carpenters, painters,
plasterers, and others in the construction trades who know how to--and
why we should--preserve, repair, replicate, and maintain historic
materials and finishes are essential to historic preservation projects.
However, the unfortunate reality is that there is an increasingly short
supply of such craftspeople. More recognizable opportunities for
workforce development and training in the traditional trades not only
would help address this problem critical to the maintenance of our
nation's historic places, but also would contribute to economic
recovery and wellbeing through career pathways that benefit local
communities.
The importance and value of the skilled craftworker and the need to
support traditional trades training has been recognized in the historic
preservation field for many years. The National Trust for Historic
Preservation addressed the issue in its 1968 Whitehill Report on
Professional and Public Education for Historic Preservation and
revisited it almost 40 years later in a 2005 issue of its Forum Journal
titled ``Building Trades Education in the 21st Century.'' The National
Park Service (NPS) also addressed the importance of traditional trades
training in a 1997 issue of its publication Cultural Resource
Management titled ``Preservation Trades and Crafts: Working in
Preservation and Fostering the Trades.'' In the years since these
publications were issued, with an aging workforce and building stock,
the need to increase the number of skilled craftspeople has only become
more acute.
The federal government can play an important role in promoting
traditional trades training. NPS already makes a significant
contribution through the work of the agency's Historic Preservation
Training Center, Western Center for Historic Preservation, and National
Center for Preservation Technology and Training. Expanding the scope
and scale of traditional trades
[[Page 71083]]
training in America will require broadening federal engagement.
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), an
independent federal agency created by the National Historic
Preservation Act (NHPA), works to promote the preservation,
enhancement, and sustainable use of our nation's diverse historic
resources, and advises the President and the Congress on national
historic preservation policy. One of the ACHP's stated duties in the
NHPA is to encourage training and education in the field of historic
preservation. In this policy statement, the ACHP discusses the need for
and the benefits of expanded traditional trades training; suggests key
principles that should guide federal, state, and local workforce
development and training efforts; and offers recommendations for
action.
Scope of Need and Potential Benefits of Expanded Training
The recent societal trend to devalue the skilled trades as an
alternative to college and a worthwhile career path has led to a
shortage of new workers entering the construction trades. This is
occurring at the same time that many in the existing workforce are
retiring. According to a 2019 survey by the Associated General
Contractors of America, 80 percent of construction firms reported
having difficulty in filling craft positions that represent the bulk of
the construction workforce. Similarly, a survey by the National
Association of Home Builders found 82 percent of respondents expected
labor shortages to be their top issue in 2019. This lack of skilled
workers is further magnified for the specialized traditional trades
often needed for historic preservation projects.
The relative scarcity of skilled workers in the traditional trades
is brought into sharp relief in the wake of natural disasters. After
addressing immediate emergency issues, full rehabilitation of damaged
historic buildings is often delayed or compromised because of a lack of
craftspeople who have expertise working with historic building
materials.
Despite this shortage, various public policies promote historic
preservation projects that require skilled traditional trades
craftspeople. For instance, the Great American Outdoors Act signed into
law in 2020 will provide up to $9.5 billion in funding for deferred
maintenance within NPS and at other federal facilities. Historic
buildings make up about 46 percent of the NPS deferred maintenance
backlog, and their repair will boost the demand for skilled workers in
the traditional trades. Another relevant policy example is
incentivizing preservation through tax credits. The federal Historic
Tax Credit for rehabilitation of income-producing historic properties
and similar historic tax credits in 37 states require that projects
meet quality standards (generally the Secretary of the Interior's
Standards for Rehabilitation). Meeting such standards often requires
work by craftspeople trained in the traditional trades.
Growing the ranks of skilled traditional trades workers would help
to build preservation capacity in the construction trades and ensure
that precious historic resources are preserved for future generations.
Expanded traditional trades training also would bolster local
economies, helping to fill vacant jobs. Enhancing traditional trades
training opportunities--notably for youth and veterans--would allow
people to acquire marketable knowledge, skills, and abilities that
employers are seeking. Resulting jobs often are well-paid and secure.
Median wages in construction have been outpacing the national median
wage, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
Additionally, the current shortage of traditional trades workers
coupled with projected continued demand will provide new entrants into
those trades with considerable job security.
Framework for Expanding Traditional Trades Training
The effectiveness of efforts to expand training opportunities in
the traditional trades will be maximized if grounded upon the following
key concepts.
--Training opportunities in the traditional trades should be widely
available. There should be national and regional traditional trades
training opportunities with a variety of options and pathways of
different durations (immersion, apprenticeships, degree programs) and
educational levels (high school, vocational school, community college,
college) in order to maximize the number of new workers entering the
field. Tradespeople already working in related fields also should have
opportunities to add traditional trades expertise to their skill set.
Likewise, craftspeople already in the traditional trades would benefit
from continuing education opportunities.
--Importance of open-source training curriculum. Each traditional
trades training program currently has to create its own curriculum.
This problem of reinventing the wheel would be minimized if open-source
curriculum options were available. Standardized programs of study that
could be tailored to unique local needs would ease creation of training
programs, make them more sustainable, and encourage the growth of a
community of instructors in such programs.
--Apprenticeship programs are essential. By its very nature,
traditional trades training requires hands-on instruction and
mentoring. Apprenticeships provide that gateway for entry-level
students to learn from experienced craftspeople. They can alleviate the
burden of student loans. Apprenticeships also are a key way of matching
students with the companies that need their services for direct job
placement.
--Importance of industry-recognized credentials and/or qualification
standards. Currently, there are no third-party credentialing
organizations bestowing credentials for the traditional trades and no
specific qualification standards that must be met in order to claim
proficiency. Such formal recognition verifies a person's competence in
their chosen skill, is sought after by employers, and would be
advantageous for traditional trades craftspeople seeking to document
their expertise. Credentialing would be a significant step toward
enhancing the stature of traditional trades craftspeople relative to
the other professionals (architectural historians, architects,
engineers, etc.) who collaborate to restore and rehabilitate historic
properties.
Recommendations for Federal Action
The federal government can play an important role in promoting
traditional trades training and workforce development. The following
recommendations address both use of existing federal programs and
consideration of new policies and programs.
--Integrate traditional trades into existing Department of Labor (DOL)
apprenticeship programs. DOL oversees the National Apprenticeship
Program, a system of registered apprenticeships implemented by DOL and
state apprenticeship agencies that in 2020 was supplemented with a new
model of industry-recognized apprenticeships. There are significant
untapped opportunities to accommodate and encourage traditional trades
apprenticeships in this national apprenticeship framework. DOL should
include traditional trades in its Occupational Information Network
Program and the
[[Page 71084]]
Standard Occupational Classification Codes upon which that program is
based.
--Encourage states to use existing Department of Education (ED) career
and technical education funding for traditional trades training in
state Perkins plans. Under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical
Education Act, ED awards more than $1 billion a year in state formula
grants and competitive discretionary grants for the improvement of
career and technical education programs across the nation. While
decisions about how the money is spent rests at the state and local
level, there is ED oversight of state plans and implementation. In that
context, ED should pursue opportunities to advise states on the
potential benefits of traditional trades training in meeting the labor
market need for such craftspeople.
--Encourage recipients of existing Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) funding to address traditional trades training when
meeting workforce development requirements. Under Section 3 of the
Housing and Urban Development Act, recipients of certain HUD financial
assistance must, to the greatest extent feasible, provide job training,
employment, and contracting opportunities for low- or very-low income
residents in connection with projects and activities in their
neighborhoods. To meet Section 3 requirements, HUD grantees and their
contractors sometimes run or participate in training and apprenticeship
programs that prepare community residents for jobs. HUD should pursue
opportunities to encourage addressing the traditional trades,
particularly for projects involving historic properties and the
rehabilitation of affordable housing.
--Consider options for federal support in development of open-source
traditional trades training curriculum. NPS's Historic Preservation
Training Center, Western Center for Historic Preservation, and National
Center for Preservation Technology and Training are logical focal
points for a federal response to the need for traditional trades
training curriculum, with development work either being done in-house
or through contracts. As a first step, there should be a review of
existing programs and curriculum to serve as a baseline for next steps
in curriculum development. Once curriculum is developed, federal
support might also assist in ``training the trainers'' to help
institutions and individuals become familiar with the curriculum.
--Develop federal qualification standards for the traditional trades.
As directed by the NHPA, the Secretary of the Interior has developed
advisory Historic Preservation Professional Qualification Standards
(Qualification Standards). The intent is to assist federal agencies in
ensuring that the employees and contractors responsible for
preservation of federally managed historic properties have the
knowledge, skills, and abilities to do so effectively. Published in
1983, the Qualification Standards focus on the academic disciplines of
history, archaeology, architectural history, architecture, and historic
architecture, as identified in the NHPA. Left unaddressed is the
competency of the craftspeople in the traditional trades performing the
work of applying the preservation treatments. NPS should include the
traditional trades in any future revision of the Secretary's
Qualification Standards or should explore development of a parallel set
of standards that could be used to assess and document proficiency in
the traditional trades.
--Include traditional trades training in implementation of the Great
American Outdoors Act. The passage of the Great American Outdoors Act
is anticipated to create a significant demand for skilled workers in
the traditional trades to address deferred maintenance at properties
managed by NPS (principally) and also the USDA Forest Service, Fish and
Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian
Education. Using a small portion of the billions of dollars that will
become available under the law for traditional trades training would be
a strategic investment to address an immediate need as well as a way of
having a lasting positive impact on the current shortage of traditional
trades craftspeople.
--Promote traditional trades training in the work of conservation
corps. Used by federal agencies, Indian tribes, states, and local
communities, conservation corps engage young adults and veterans in
service projects addressing recreation, conservation, disaster
response, and other needs. While many corps focus principally on
natural resources, conservation corps also assist in the preservation
of historic properties, with a few focusing solely on historic
preservation projects. Such projects offer important opportunities to
introduce corps members to the traditional trades and provide training.
Federal land-managing agencies should set an example by maximizing use
of conservation corps to address historic preservation needs on public
lands.
--Explore use of COVID-19 recovery/stimulus funding to create jobs and
job training in the traditional trades. Much of COVID-19 recovery
funding to date has focused on direct aid for individuals, businesses,
organizations, and institutions (including museums and non-profits),
and funding for agencies to directly respond to the pandemic. If future
legislation is passed that addresses economic recovery from COVID-19
more broadly, there may be opportunities to support traditional trades
training as part of enhanced funding for existing programs or creation
of new programs. For instance, any new or augmented programs to create
affordable housing might incorporate job training for local residents
in the rehabilitation of existing older housing stock. New programs
might build--both literally and figuratively--upon the example of
Depression-era public works programs. Buildings and structures created
by the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps
are now historic properties, and a program to train youth in restoring
those properties would be one economic stimulus program restoring the
work of another.
--Utilize the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) for traditional trades
training grants, as authorized by the NHPA. The NHPA authorizes the
Department of the Interior (DOI) to administer a grants program for
``the training and development of skilled labor in trades and crafts,
and in analysis and curation, relating to historic preservation'' (54
U.S.C. 302904). The funding source is the HPF. This skilled labor
component of the HPF remains to be funded. DOI should seek funding to
support this grants program in future fiscal year budget requests.
--Explore development of sustainable, dedicated funding that would be a
continuing source of revenue for traditional trades training. While
funding from the HPF for traditional trades training already is
authorized and would help in combatting the current shortage of
craftspeople, there are other important programs competing for HPF
dollars. Creation of dedicated, sustainable sources of funding
specifically for traditional
[[Page 71085]]
trades training would be a significant step forward. Such funding
should be established not only at the federal level but also through
state and local government action. The shape that such funding might
take and the ways in which the federal government might support it
merit further development and consideration. The ACHP should promote a
dialogue on the issue with key partners, including DOI, the National
Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, the National
Association of State Workforce Agencies, Certified Local Governments,
the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions, and the National
Trust for Historic Preservation.
Traditional trades are critically important to preserving the
heritage of our historic built environment for future generations. They
also can translate into secure, well-paying jobs that help revitalize
communities both physically and economically. Expanding training
opportunities and networks in the traditional trades is essential. It
is critical to do what we can to enable this important field to expand
into pathways that are available to the American worker.
Wide ranging in lines of expertise, it is the skilled craftworker
who is making preservation happen through hands-on and on-site work.
The connection to preservation is the central theme that brings many
different skill sets together. It is the contract worker, the stone
mason, the woodcrafter, the conservator, the trade union member, the
craft guild member, maintenance crews, and building managers--all
preserving on a daily basis.
Placing trust with the decision making on the qualified
tradesperson or providing the opportunity to share the responsibility
at the preservation job site with both the preservation professional
and the skilled tradesperson empowers this field. By broadening this
vision of the preservation expert--the skilled craftworker--the ACHP
has adopted this policy statement to encourage and help guide efforts
and partnerships to address this urgent need while offering rewarding
careers and professional fulfillment.
Authority: 54 U.S.C. 304102.
Dated: November 2, 2020.
Javier Marqu[eacute]s,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2020-24645 Filed 11-5-20; 8:45 am]
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