Turning the Tables: NCCER Podcast Celebrates 100 Episodes of Impact
On October 7, The Builders’ Table podcast, hosted by NCCER Vice President of Innovation and Advancement Jennifer Wilkerson, reached a milestone by airing its 100th episode. In celebration of the event, we’re looking back on the program’s evolution, accomplishments and contributions to spreading a positive message about careers, opportunities and the people making a difference in the construction industry.
Industry Insights
The Builders’ Table podcast explores topics, trends, people and events in the construction industry, bringing listeners fresh angles and insights. The show pulls the curtain back and introduces a side of the construction industry that may not be often seen or heard.
The first episode of The Builders’ Table aired on October 3, 2022. Almost every Monday morning since then, a new episode has been heard by listeners. Over that period, the podcast has been recorded both in studio and on location, including appearing at the 2024 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
Through interviews with CEOs, non-profit spokespersons, women in construction, workforce development representatives, and career and technical education (CTE) instructors, Wilkerson has hosted a wide variety of guests. Drawing from her experience co-owning a family welding business and her work with NCCER, Wilkerson takes a deep dive into important topics impacting the industry.
How it Happened
The idea of starting a construction-focused podcast had been considered by the NCCER team for years. Several concepts were pitched, and finally in 2022 plans were put into action, with Wilkerson tabbed to be the host.
One of the first priorities of starting a podcast is to line up guests. Nikolai Nabet, Video Production Manager for NCCER, started reaching out to various candidates.
“I just started cold calling and emailing people to be guests on the podcast, and we had a decent response,” Nabet said.
As the first round of guest conversations with Wilkerson were being scheduled, recorded and edited, other components of the show also began to fall into place. The podcast’s official name was selected after a company-wide voting competition with NCCER employees. A logo and a theme song, now heard at the beginning of each episode, soon followed.
With everything set, the podcast officially launched that October in conjunction with Careers in Construction Month — and the rest is The Builders’ Table podcast history. Since that first episode, the podcast has earned more than 11,000 downloads.
Podcast Episode Highlights
Where it All Began
The inaugural episode of The Builders’ Table featured guest Peyton Holland, Executive Director of the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS). The episode introduced listeners to Holland and his journey in construction, how he became a leader for NTHS, and the important work the non-profit organization is doing to support, recognize and honor students for their achievements in CTE.
That first show touched on several important topics and themes that continued to be discussed in subsequent episodes — like scholarship, philanthropy, mentorship and the misconceptions surrounding craft trades as a career choice.
As Holland said on the show, “[CTE] is the best-kept secret. We’ve conditioned people to think that a four-year degree is the path to success. NTHS and the founders, Allen Powell and Jon Poteat, saw in many young people possibilities. They saw there were bright, intelligent, highly skilled but often forgotten or unrecognized young people. These students saw the value of applied learning of math and science in the crafts.”
Craft programs offered these young people a tangible outlet for those aptitudes and a place to excel.
The “Dope” Teacher
In Episode 4, The Builders’ Table introduced Evin Jarrett, a young CTE instructor at the Mayfair (Middle) School in the Philadelphia School District. Affectionately known as “The Dope Teacher,” a moniker that some of his students (“the cool kids,” said Jarrett) gave him. On the show, Jarrett raves about the great things he’s seen from students enrolled in the craft program at Mayfair School.
Jarrett described how students have found a place where they belong through the program and had a chance to work as a team while building confidence with the tools they used.
“Kids run to my classroom,” Jarret said. “There are kids that don’t want to leave my classroom. They hide from the next class because they enjoy it so much.”
Why is construction education so great for young people? “It gives [students] a chance to collaborate,” said Jarrett. “They’re problem-solving. They’re off the computers working with their hands. The program engages them.”
Season 2
The Builders’ Table began Season 2 with Wilkerson interviewing Sean Ray, Vice President of Craft Workforce Development with Sundt Construction. Sean spoke about the route his career has taken in the construction industry to get to the position he has today with Sundt.
After high school, Ray enrolled in the United States Navy and served four years as a sonar technician. After leaving the Navy, his intent was to return to school and go to college, but a summer internship took him and his career in another direction — Rio Ranch, New Mexico, just north of Albuquerque. There, he interned as a pipefitter’s helper and found a passion for the job as well as the camaraderie that the construction industry offered.
“I put college on hold for one year, which turned into two and then five and didn’t look back,” Ray told Wilkerson.
He worked his way up in the trade, from journeyman pipefitter to foreman and into quality control. Eventually, Sean landed with Sundt Construction, where today he advocates for the opportunities the construction trades have to offer and the benefits of working for Sundt.
At Sundt, Ray is passionate about getting young people into construction careers. “I do my job now because I want to give back. The best part of my job is finding a young individual who might not come from a strong economic background. It’s rewarding to see the smile on their face when they’re able to buy that first car or house, and see that construction is giving them the life that their parents thought they might never have.”
Women in Construction
The Builders’ Table covers all sides of the construction industry spectrum. In Episode 78, Wilkerson sat down with Maria Ford, President of Commercial Construction Channel at DEWALT, discussing her role with the tool manufacturing giant, the impact of mentorship and how to support women in construction.
Wilkerson and Ford touched on the importance for women who are currently in construction to lead by example now and in the future. Ford explains, “I view my role as more than what I do on a day-to-day basis. I’m more than a mentor to women in my company. I feel I’m more of a mentor to women in the industry, and that is what I love about my role.”
During their conversation, Wilkerson highlighted NCCER’s women in construction research, which discovered how important it is for women to have someone to look to and pattern their career after. Ford spoke to the issue of being a female in a male-dominated industry and how women can succeed and thrive.
Ford noted, “I’ll have women say to me, ‘I’ve watched you navigate through these obstacles, being a mother, being a female in a male-dominated room. It showed me it is possible and taught me different ways I can handle these situations.’”
The Big Event
How did the podcast celebrate the 100th episode milestone? In a new take, “The Builders’ Tables” were turned, and Wilkerson was in the proverbial “hot seat” and fielding questions herself. Filling in for her as host was Johnny Diaz, an NCCER videographer and behind-the-scenes producer for The Builders’ Table.
It was a retrospective of the past two years of podcasting, but with a bit more spice: the 100th episode pays homage to YouTube’s popular “Hot Ones” talk show, where guests are interviewed by host Sean Evans amid eating progressively hotter chicken wings.
In this landmark episode of The Builders’ Table, Diaz presented the questions while Wilkerson answered, as both participants simultaneously ran the hot sauce gauntlet one wing and one question at a time.
To watch or listen to Episode 100 of The Builders’ Table podcast, click here.
Tune in every Monday at 7 a.m. to The Builders’ Table podcast as the program starts its new journey toward the next 100 episodes. Listen to hear amazing people in construction and education talk about recruitment, training and retention. The Builders’ Table is available on several services including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and more.