Second Lift & Move USA Event to be Held in Houston

September 30, 2015 - The second Lift & Move USA careers event moves to Houston, Feb. 10, 2016 following a successful summer inaugural event in Chicago. The conference is an industry initiative to promote job opportunities in the crane, rigging, and specialized transport industries.

 

Targeted at high-school and college students, as well as military veterans, it is jointly organized by SC&RA, NCCCO, and KHL Group. The Houston Lift & Move will be organized in partnership with SC&RA member TNT Crane & Rigging, whose headquarters in Houston will host the conference.

 

 “The single largest issue facing the crane industry is a shortage of skilled labor. It is imperative that young professionals understand the outstanding career opportunities in crane and rigging,” said Mike Appling, TNT president and CEO, adding, “Houston is an activity hot zone for the diversified end markets [in] refining, petro-chemical, LNG, commercial construction, and more, and therefore a great place to host this event.”

 

The conference, organized in cooperation with SkillsUSA, a national organization that helps students prepare for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations, will provide attendees with an overview of job opportunities in the industry alongside personal testimonies from young people already working in the sector.

 

Joel Dandrea, executive vice president of SC&RA, said Lift & Move USA in Houston, being held only eight months after the inaugural event in Chicago, would build momentum for the initiative; “Chicago was a great success, attracting almost 150 young people and demonstrating that there is real interest in the lifelong career opportunities offered by our industry,” he said. “We also learned a lot from Chicago. Our second event will be shorter—reduced to one day—and hosted at a crane yard rather than a hotel, which will give the students an up-close look at cranes and other equipment. We urge the wider industry to get behind this positive initiative.”

 

The event will promote career opportunities to the next generation of employees, highlighting all sorts of jobs, from crane operators, truck drivers, and CAD design engineers to mechanics, welders, and sales staff.