A program from the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio is helping to fill the pipeline of skilled tradespeople for major regional projects such as the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project.
Building Futures, a 12-week apprenticeship readiness program, will begin the third of this year's four classes in August in a continuing effort to help participants obtain living-wage jobs in the region's building and construction trades.
The first three weeks of the program are run by the Urban League and focus on "soft skills," such as financial literacy and interviewing techniques, said Dusty Bryant, program manager.
The subsequent nine weeks, meanwhile, focus on a curriculum developed by building trade unions and is taught by instructors from the Laborers' International Union of North America, Local 265, in Cincinnati.
Bryant said wages earned by graduates of the program that are working in the field average between $24.50 and $36.50 per hour.
To learn more about Building Futures or to apply, visit ulgso.org/buildingfutures. Anyone meeting the minimum qualifications will have a one-on-one conversation with staff, Bryant said.
In addition to the Ohio Department of Transportation, program sponsors include the Cincinnati Building and Construction Trades Council, Hamilton County Office of County Commissioners, AFL-CIO and TradesFutures.
