By: William Antonelli

For some New York City high school students, the path to a sustainable career begins before they've even received their diplomas. Pre-apprenticeship programs give these students a head start in the union building trades, promising good wages, benefits and opportunities for advancement. That's the idea behind the Edward J. Malloy Initiative for Construction Skills, which has spent the past 25 years helping young New Yorkers find their way into the construction industry.

Known to most as Construction Skills, the program has helped nearly 3,000 participants enter union apprenticeship programs since its founding in 2001.

“The goal of these programs is really to bring people out of poverty and into the middle class,” Construction Skills’ President and CEO Gary LaBarbera told Under Construction News. “We want the building trades to be the vehicle that gives young people and adults…the pathway to opportunity.”

As president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York and the New York State Building and Construction Trades Council, LaBarbera has made diversifying and expanding access to union construction jobs a priority of his work.

At the Building Futures Awards, Construction Skills’ annual ceremony held earlier this month, a video presentation showcased graduates from across the program’s 25-year history. Each graduate shared how Construction Skills gave them the skills to land a union job with fair pay and great benefits.

For Robert Forster, a 2011 graduate who is now Regional Manager for the New York City District Council of Carpenters, those union benefits have made an enormous difference in his family's life. “Having two young kids, four and six years old, both with medical conditions, I would be in such financial hardship if I didn't have the opportunity that the union has provided me with healthcare,” he said. “All of that stems from me applying for Construction Skills, and them steering me in this direction.”

Construction Skills traces its roots back to Project Pathways, a pre-apprenticeship program for recent high school graduates that ended in 2000. Recognizing the importance of bringing more young New Yorkers from diverse backgrounds into the trades, industry leaders joined with public construction agencies, including the New York City School Construction Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, to revive the effort in 2001 with a new name and higher standards.

In the 25 years since, Construction Skills has become one of the industry’s most successful pre-apprenticeship programs. According to Executive Vice President Nicole Bertran, the program has placed 2,884 New York City residents in apprenticeships to date. Nearly 90% of those placed in apprenticeships self-identify as Black, Latino, Asian, or members of other racial and ethnic minority groups.

“We wanted the building trades to reflect the makeup of the city,” said LaBarbera. “Diversity is paramount to the building trades today.”

Participants complete a nationally recognized training curriculum that covers key construction terminology and history, math and finance skills, vital safety guidelines, how to read blueprints, and more. Students also learn about labor history, diversity and the importance of cooperation on the construction site.

The program also helps students overcome some of the practical obstacles to entering the trades. Bertran said that Construction Skills offers students “a starter kit” with basic industry tools like a tape measure, as well as a “boot fund” that provides the money to buy work-safe footwear. She calls these “barrier reduction efforts,” helping to bring disadvantaged communities into the industry.

Perhaps the program's most valuable advantage is its “direct entry” status. This means that once a worker graduates from the program, they’re eligible for an immediate interview with a registered apprenticeship program, without having to go through the traditional application process. It gives participants a more direct route toward paid apprenticeships and careers in the building trades.

The program has evolved considerably since its founding. Its curriculum now includes training related to green energy, for example, reflecting the growing demand for workers with skills in modern construction sectors. And a recent partnership with the City College of New York means that participants now complete most of their training on a real college campus in Manhattan. That’s a novel experience for most of Construction Skills’ participants, who are largely high school seniors from local Career and Technical Education schools. These students leave school early one day a week for classroom training in the spring, then complete three weeks of full-time hands-on training during the summer after graduation. Adult participants complete both halves of the program in four weeks of full-time training.

By introducing students to the building trades before graduation, Construction Skills offers an alternative to the four-year college route and the student debt that can come with it. For young New Yorkers who might not otherwise consider construction, the program gives them an accelerated route to apprenticeship, making sure they have the skills and experience needed to succeed in the industry.

“I remember how much more prepared I was than the other apprentices that were in my training class,” said Davon Lomax, a 2005 Construction Skills graduate who now serves as Political Director of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 9. “It really helped me excel in my career.”

At the Building Futures ceremony, Construction Skills celebrated its anniversary and recognized three leaders for their contributions to the industry: Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su, Glaziers Local Union 1087 Business Representative Stephen Brice, and New York Electrical Contractors Association Executive Secretary Peter Rescigno. The honorees all emphasized the importance of introducing more young people to the building trades and ensuring those opportunities reach communities across the city.

“It has been really exciting to see so many young people raise their hand to be a part of this industry,” Deputy Mayor Su said. “So together, let's build the roads and bridges of economic justice to more people. This is the vision of building that Construction Skills, and I know all the people in this room, share.”

Throughout the event, one theme kept popping up: the importance of looking out for your fellow worker. That spirit of solidarity is part of what Construction Skills aims to instill in its students. Alongside technical training, participants learn the importance of teamwork, supporting fellow workers and helping the next generation find their footing in the trades. As Joseph Grimshaw Jr., a 2006 graduate and member of Operating Engineers Local 15, put it: “You're not just looking out for yourself, you're looking out for others around you.”

Manny Yllescacs, a Class of 2005 graduate and IBEW Local 3 member, recalled “the buddy elbow,” a tactic used to make sure no one in the program fell behind. “They would say, ‘Hey, if you see that somebody next to you is starting to get tired, wake him up. Make sure he’s paying attention in class. Don’t leave him to fail.’”

April Rodriguez, a Class of 2008 graduate and Apprenticeship Coordinator at Laborers Local 79, agrees. She describes her role as “giving back what was given to me when I started 18 years ago. I am able to help women, help brothers and sisters out there get into a union that’s going to give them respect [and] dignity.”

A quarter-century after its founding, Construction Skills continues to prepare young New Yorkers for careers that can transform not only their own futures but those of their families and communities.

“This program literally transforms people’s lives,” said LaBarbera. “It’s something that we should all be so proud of and deeply committed to.”