This is the first installment in a two-part series on the Detroit Regional Workforce Fund’s Access for All pre-apprenticeship training program.
It’s a different world for construction and skilled trades workers in Detroit in 2017 than it was just five or ten years ago. The Associated General Contractors of America reports that in 2016 alone, 32 states — with Michigan being one of the most significant — added construction jobs, although the shortage of experienced workers kept contractors from hiring as many employees as they would have preferred.
The construction boon in Southeastern Michigan is indicative of the rise in construction industry job opportunities, with accelerated wages suggesting demand for construction remains strong, but a shortage of qualified workers is making workforce development a critical component to employment. “Contractors have relatively high expectations for 2017 as they predict the economy and demands for all types of construction will grow,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “As a result of this optimism, many firms expect to expand their head count next year.”
Detroit Regional Workforce Fund Executive Director Karen Tyler-Ruiz says employment and a sustainable income can be a reality for Detroiters, men and women, desiring work in the skilled trades. The job training and employment expert anticipates that those who successfully complete its innovative new Access for All job readiness program will move on to high-paying positions in the construction industry.
Access for All, an initiative of the Detroit Regional Workforce Fund, is a pre-apprenticeship program in the construction trades. A new nine-week training class begins on Feb. 6. Any and all Detroiters interested in employment in Detroit’s construction boon are encouraged to attend the Access for All recruitment event on Monday, Jan. 30 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Operating Engineers Local 324, 1550 Howard Ave.
“African Americans and people of color have been under-represented in the skilled trades in the past and what we have found is that some of the folks that were trying to get into the trades could not find ‘the door’ or the access point. There are 23 trades in the construction industry and there is not just one way in. You have to knock on all the doors. So, what Access for All has helped to do is pull potential workers together and explain that process,” explained Tyler-Ruiz in an exclusive interview with the Michigan Chronicle.
Tyler-Ruiz on Access for All
There are plenty of construction training programs out there. What’s different about Access for All is that we are a job readiness program that has been endorsed by the North American Building Trades Union. We are preparing participants for success and entry into a journeymen’s program. Coming out of our program, the average pay is about $15 per hour, but if you go on and become a journeyman, you will start earning $28 to $36 per hour. Many in the construction industry are making six-figure salaries.
On program standards
Because we work so closely with labor and construction and with MDOT, we focused on what their needs were, and made sure we created a program that met all the standards, especially the high safety standards. In our initiative, you can get an OSHA 30, but in most places, you get an OSHA 10 certification. This is a higher safety standard, so our participants come out being more desired hires by employers.
Participant eligibility
To participate, a person has to be a Detroit resident, 18 years of age or older and have a valid driver’s license. The construction industry itself accepts people who have some involvement with the judicial system; they aren’t necessarily barred from participating in the program. There are [industries] which have a lot more barriers, like healthcare or banking because of what they do and the nature of the industry. But in construction there is a higher tolerance level. It depends on the contractor and it depends on the union. We encourage everybody to apply, and to disclose any history with the judicial system. There are opportunities across the board and that’s what makes it such a great career pathway.
Recruitment and program outreach
We’re getting a high response through our recruitment strategies with a large part of our outreach and recruitment coming through the ecumenical community. Since Access for All’s inception, we’ve served almost 100 Detroiters and our statistics show that 91 percent of those who successfully complete the program get employed and 66 percent go into apprenticeship programs. That’s a wonderful accomplishment to get into a skilled trade. Our best successes have been entry into the electrician and carpentry trades.
Women in the construction industry
Historically it’s been your father, your brother, your cousin or your uncle who have been bringing people into the trades. Women have been absent from the conversation about working in the industry, so women often don’t see themselves working in construction. We want to share the message that this program is for men and women. We are working with women journeymen who are ready, willing and able to come on board and help mentor their sisters to grow their numbers in the skilled trades.
For more information on Access for All, please visit https://accessforalldetroit.com.
Access for All is funded by the Detroit Regional Workforce Fund (DRWF). The DRWF is a public-private workforce funders collaborative housed at United Way for Southeastern Michigan, which also serves as the fiscal agent
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