reducing training hours and classroom time puts too many at risk in our state! we must keep up the required training and class times.

Given the growing complexity and sophistication of skilled construction crafts, it goes in the opposite direction of what is needed in today’s industry.  More specifically, the negative impact of this initiative is multifaceted as it will: 

1. Create serious safety risks for craft workers, purchasers of construction services, and the general public;

2. Eliminate bidding opportunities for Virginia contractors in other states due to loss of reciprocity;

3. Undermine the Commonwealth’s goal of promoting workforce development in the construction sector; and

4. Drive capital construction investments of private industry and the federal government to other states with greater skill training capabilities.   

How does it make any sense to reduce education time and hours. These skills that we teach apprentices cannot be cut in half. The public safety would be at risk and anybody that steps foot on a construction site will be at risk of harm, disability or death. Let's use commonsense and think about actual safety not just cutting training in half for manpower needs. 

On behalf of the Associated General Contractors of Virginia (AGCVA), we appreciate the opportunity to provide comment on the current NOIRA to reduce regulations for licensed contractors specifically the journeyman examination exemption.

As the trade association that represents both general contractors and specialty contractors, AGCVA prides itself on representing the broader constituency of industry among its members. AGCVA has concerns about the consequences of such large changes to the requirements to be an experienced trades person in construction. Specifically, we have the following concerns about the proposed changes.

The requirement for a journeyman to sit for an examination is an important step in preparing trades persons for achieving the journeyman status. The examination serves as the crucial step for individuals to show knowledge retention and comprehension to qualify as a journeyman. In construction, the journeyman often serves as an on-site trainer for less experienced trades people. The examination requirement helps to ensure journeyman have sufficient knowledge that can be utilized to safely and properly train upcoming trades people.

For these reasons, AGCVA has serious concerns about these proposed regulations.

For those who are unknowledgeable, you can already sit for your journeyman if you have an associates degree in a related field and two years experience.

This requirement simply means you can attend 240 hours of vocational training and sit for the exam without requiring an associates degree.

This doesn't seem like much of a difference to me, but maybe I am crazy.

It’s like these are being written for the express purpose of driving me to aneurysm. Please, I sincerely ask you to seriously consider the implications. This amendment, much like 50-30, guarantees the injuries and deaths of tradespeople and those who rely on their labor, which is to say all residents of Virginia. There is a great honor in having earned and mastered a trade that I wish to preserve and perhaps more universally-relatable, a rather innate human desire I have to eventually safely exit all buildings I happen to enter. I would hope you don’t find this unreasonable. This is not a matter of cutting through bureaucratic red tape or taking a rugged individualist’s stance against slick and soulless overregulation, it’s about ensuring soft-handed businessmen make another quick buck by once again sacrificing good work, human dignity, and the safety of the people we depend on to build and maintain our commonwealth. If nothing else, I cannot overemphasize how ridiculously annoying it’ll be for you to hear from me and just how often it’ll happen should this gain further traction. Thanks.