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Construction workforce training focus of Swoope's attention.

Article Excerpt
It is one thing to provide workforce training. A more difficult task may be creating demand from people to desire workforce training. That can be particularly tough in professions such as construction, even though a shortage of workers ought to make training for one of the construction trades very attractive.

Part of the problem may be society's perception of the building trades.

"I think we have done a poor job of making every job and career honorable in our country," said Mary Swoope of Hattiesburg, who is the South Mississippi director for the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation. "And I think that reflects back into what our students choose, I was school-to-work director for the State of Arkansas before I moved here. I saw that if I gave a presentation and a kid went home and said, "I want to be a brick mason,' his parents would groan. But if he went back and said, "I want to own my own business," that's great."...

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