HOUSTON--Jim Stevenson is the president of the McCarthy Building Cos. Houston division, and he is leading an initiative called the Construction Career Collaborative or C3, which he developed as a result of a long-term vision for creating a sustainable craft workforce. Stevenson recently spoke to GlobeSt.com about the workforce shortage in Texas.

GlobeSt.com: For the uninitiated, why is there a workforce shortage in your industry?

Stevenson: A combination of issues contributes to the workforce shortage. First, the high school education system is moving away from vocational programs and more toward college preparatory curriculums. Second, there is a competition for workers with the emergence of the energy sector, which also demands the same type of craft workforce as the construction industry. Those issues, coupled with the last 30 years' steady decline in recruitment and training has led to a shortage nationally.