My Crane Career goes live

T.J. Cantwell didn’t start out in the crane business, but he has quickly learned the ins and outs of this vibrant industry. With more than 25 years of nonprofit executive management experience, he was hired in August 2022 to lead the NCCCO Foundation, a charitable organization formed to promote crane industry safety through three major pathways: education, research and workforce development.

T.J. Cantwell, Executive Director, NCCCO Foundation

“I love working with the people in the crane and rigging industry,” Cantwell said. “In the past two-plus years, I have met so many wonderful people who are dedicated to improving the entire industry and are volunteering their own time on our committees and in their local communities in that pursuit. It makes going to work each day to create new programs, tools and resources that will benefit everyone both exciting and a pleasure.”

Cantwell succeeded retired industry icon Graham Brent, who founded the NCCCO Foundation. Brent previously was the founding CEO of NCCCO, formed in 1995 with the mission to develop effective performance standards for safe load handling equipment operation to assist all segments of general industry and construction. Today CCO has administered over 2 million written and practical exams and issued more than 985,000 certifications.

Since it was founded, the NCCCO Foundation has developed an aggressive program of work that has involved a host of events and activities. Last month, one of the Foundation’s biggest projects came to fruition. We called on Cantwell to explain the program and discuss what it will offer the crane, rigging and lifting industry.

Last month, the Foundation launched one of its biggest projects to date, a career awareness initiative and website. Can you explain the motivation behind MyCraneCareer.org?

We are very excited to launch this free resource for the crane industry. As anyone in the crane industry can tell you, there is a significant need to increase the number of quality people who are aware of and ultimately seek careers in this industry.

The ‘graying of the workforce,’ and a lack of quality applicants for entry level positions is an issue faced by all skilled trades in the construction industry. However, unlike other skilled trades, the crane industry did not have an online hub dedicated to discussing the varied and amazing careers available.

Before the launch of MyCraneCareer.org, the industry also lacked a place to find unique and exciting resources that could be used by everyone, whether they are an individual looking for a career, a company trying to recruit new employees, a teacher talking to students, a local union hall, or a current crane operator looking to share how awesome a crane career is with friends and family who are looking for their next career move.

The goal of the My Crane Career website and marketing campaign is to excite, educate and engage the public about the many career opportunities available in the crane industry.

What is the ultimate goal?

The goal of the My Crane Career website and upcoming marketing campaign is to excite, educate and engage the public about the many career opportunities available in the crane industry. In addition, we hope it will become a valuable resource to those who are also working to get more people into the industry.

Is there anything like this website in the market today?

To my knowledge there is nothing out there that provides the amount and quality of information and resources specifically for the crane industry that mycranecareer.org does. That is why the NCCCO Foundation developed it, to address the needs of the industry.

Workforce development is a huge concern of the crane and rigging industry. How can companies that work in this realm use MyCraneCareer.org?

It is our hope that companies and others working in the crane and rigging industry will use the website and associated resources in their own community outreach and recruitment activities. For example, they could use one or more of the original videos about the industry that we have created during presentations to classrooms, job fairs or other events. They could also send individuals who might show interest in the crane industry to mycranecareer.org to take a short quiz to see if a career might be the right fit or learn more about possible industry career paths and what specific careers do and earn. They can also simply share our Top Ten List of Reasons Why Someone Should Consider a Career in the Crane Industry. A toolkit with these resources for companies and others in the industry is available at mycranecareer.org/toolkit.

How do you envision marketing the website to the industry?

We have a long-term communications and marketing campaign planned for My Crane Career to ensure both those within the industry and the public are aware of and engaging with the website and resources. In addition to the emails and communications we have already sent to supporters and followers of the NCCCO Foundation, we are also planning to present these tools at future industry events and conferences.

We have also launched new Instagram and Facebook accounts for My Crane Career to engage individuals looking for an amazing career. In the near future, we will begin targeted online marketing campaigns in strategic locations throughout the country to drive traffic to the website, and more importantly, to make the public aware and excited about a future in the crane industry.

How will the website interact with NCCCO?

None of the work the NCCCO Foundation does, including mycranecareer.org, would be possible without the generous support of the NCCCO. In the case of the website, we provide information about the value of certification and links to learn more about how to get CCO certification. In addition, we are pleased to share a link to CCO Education Services’ listing of Accredited Training Providers (ATPs) as one potential path for individuals to receive quality training and certification.

What is the full scope of work for the NCCCO Foundation?

The NCCCO Foundation supports the crane industry in a lot different ways but always with a focus on education, research and workforce development. A few of the resources and events we provide to the crane industry include research reports on safety and workforce issues; educational webinars discussing topics such as safety and workforce recruitment; and a free annual Industry Forum with presentations from experts on a variety of important topics. The Foundation is constantly looking for new opportunities and ideas to help the industry in our core mission areas. In the future, we also plan to announce new scholarship programs to assist people seeking initial crane operator, rigger or signalperson training and certification.

What’s your best advice to someone seeking a career in the crane industry?

Visit mycranecareer.org. In all seriousness, I think it is a great place to start for anyone who is looking to learn more about the industry and potential careers. It will help them discover if the industry might be right for them, the many benefits of working in the industry, the many excellent career paths, and some possible next steps.