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The Future of Clean Energy Projects: Tech-Driven Tax Credit Optimization

The Treasury Department released its guidance and the proposed rules regarding prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements for the Inflation Reduction Act.  With this announcement it’s clear that investors and owners involved in clean energy projects are facing a...

Clean Energy and Prevailing Wage – An Important and Unlikely New Pairing

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has brought prevailing wage and clean energy together. The IRA includes nearly $270 billion for incentives and tax credits to encourage acceleration of efforts to implement clean energy initiatives.  Yet, in order to receive these benefits,...

Using Federal Funding and Building a Stronger Workforce

America is at the beginning of a government-supported building boom. Between 2021 and 2022, Congress invested more than $2.3 trillion across three pieces of legislation—the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act—to enable...

Why We Have SkillSmart Day: Celebrating 10 Years

When we founded SkillSmart ten years ago, we had a vision to use technology to make communities stronger by helping workers obtain the skills they needed to be successful working for employers in their community.  We recognized that strong communities need workers who can earn a good...

The InSight Minute: Growing Local Economies – Metrics for Building Stronger Communities

Everywhere you look, from small towns to big cities, and even the federal government, there’s a drive to improve the economy and create more good jobs with decent pay so folks can live well and help the economy prosper. These are great platitudes, but how can it actually happen?...

The InSight Minute: How You Can Track the Impact of Your IIJA Project

The Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act (IIJA) was passed at the beginning of 2022, but we are still in the early stages of this funding being available and for the various requirements to be more fully clarified.  Yet, we know that among the key elements of the IIJA and its...

2022 Blog Recap: Exciting Revelations in Data Collection + Reporting

At SkillSmart, we know that your data is an asset that can develop trust and confidence.  Data that is easily captured on a daily basis and formally structured is vital to making business decisions while bringing transparency to each project and helping present the positive impact it...

The InSight Minute: Data, Insights, Action

When we started SkillSmart 10 years ago, there were two important points we hoped to achieve. First, we had a chip on our shoulder about showing the world that a for-profit business, with strong margins, could also have social impact as part of its core strategy.  Second, we recognized...

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Top 9 Questions to Ask When You Are a Project Manager Researching Construction Data Tracking Software

1. Is there project size or contract size requirement to use this technology tracking platform? When purchasing construction data tracking software, you will want to make sure that it will fit whatever size project or contract you have (especially if you purchase InSight at the...

The InSight Minute: Strengthening Communities By Making a Bigger Pie

We have a rare and exciting opportunity in our country right now, and we’re struggling a bit with how to write about it.  With everything so politicized, sometimes it’s difficult for all of us to see the significant wins even when they’re right in front of us.  So, we’re going to just...

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Wage Theft – What To Look For and What To Do When You See Something

Wage theft is a broad phrase commonly used to describe worker misclassification, as well as wage and hour violations. The U.S. Department of Labor enforces the Fair Labor Standards Act, but many states are increasing their focus on this issue and have stronger wage theft laws. Wage...

Is Wage Theft More Prevalent in the Construction Industry?

There has been an increased focus on wage theft in states and jurisdictions throughout the U.S.  In order to be better advocates for ourselves and others, we should all be educated on what wage theft is and why it is relevant to your firm and projects.   What is Wage Theft?...