Effectiveness evaluation of the Hispanic Workforce Research Project (HWRP)

Hispanics are a large and growing part of the United States workforce. Official projection state that by the year 2050 Hispanics will account for 25 percent of the population. For the Midwest in particular, the Hispanic population is expected to increase 35 percent by the year 2025. The construction industry is expected to experience greater percentage increase of its Hispanic population due to the labor intensive nature of the industry.;This study addresses the expected increase of Hispanic workers in the construction industry by investigating the best approaches for delivering training to construction crews with Hispanic workers as well as American supervisors and laborers in the State of Iowa. It also involved developing an integration on-site course. The Toolbox Integration Course for Hispanic workers and American supervisors (TICHA) is put to test during the construction season 2006 with the collaboration of three construction companies. The research methodology consisted of assessing the effects on communication, safety, work environment, and productivity as a result of the integration training.;Results show that integration on-site training decreases worker\u27s desirability to move and increases quality of work and productivity. Most importantly, experimental design was used to show the increasing levels of direct construction communication due to TICHA.;This study recommends the creation of a quasi-governmental program which can offer continuous research and training which can benefit the construction industry as well as society as a whole. The industry involvement in this process is crucial for contractors. Not only contractors reduce the insurance premiums when workers act safely, but workers with better communication skills are more productive