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The construction industry is facing a major labor shortage, but programs and people across the country are working locally to solve the problem. This series highlights grassroots efforts that help recruit the next generation of construction professionals. Read previous posts here.
Do you know of any groups that help attract workers to the construction industry? Let us know.
Carlos Maldonado tried to get OSHA training and certification for years.
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., since age 5, Maldonado said he had most recently worked delivery and factory jobs and was unemployed for a year before that. He said he had been looking for a career in the building trades for some time, but couldn’t afford the classes required for certification.
That all changed when Maldonado, 40, found the Andromeda Community Initiative, a local nonprofit that provides free professional development to underserved and underemployed populations in an effort to connect them to careers in the trades. the construction He now works for Brooklyn-based exterior renovation company Skyline Restoration, where he said he makes $25 an hour, $30 on weekends, much better than his previous jobs.
ACI helped him get the necessary training and, later, the job. He graduated from the ACI program in February.
“Once I got all my certifications, I went and spoke [ACI and they said], ‘Listen, come Monday you have an interview. On Tuesday, you had an interview,” Maldonado told Construction Dive. “So it was like for the best. Period.”
ACI background
Launched in 2018 in partnership with several building restoration contractors, ACI, based in Long Island City, New York, has trained more than 700 people in job and trade skills and is on track to serve 200 more in 2024. The non-profit organization claims to graduate 85% of enrollees. and places approximately four out of five jobs within nine months of completing the program.
Most of the participants are people of color, according to the nonprofit, and are often individuals trying to overcome homelessness, criminal justice re-entry or welfare dependency. Maldonado, for example, said he discovered ACI through a connection with a wellness program.
At ACI’s training facilities, enrollees train in things like bricklaying or work-at-height or scaffolding simulations.
Authorization granted by ACI
The non-profit organization offers a multitude of training opportunities, even transforming a warehouse into a hands-on workplace, complete with scaffolding and power tools.
According to Sophia, attendees earn certifications in suspended and support scaffolding, site safety, silica awareness, DOT signage and more. Oliveirathe organization’s director of fundraising and development.
The main offering, however, is a five-week cohort in Masonry and General Construction, Oliveira he said, but ACI also launched an eight-week cohort last year that addresses “an additional three weeks that really hone in on green building and energy efficiency skills,” Oliveira said.
After that, the company helps with both reemployment and relocation after layoffs, said David Nidus, executive director. Even beyond that, Nidus said, ACI will help enrollees advance their careers in ways such as obtaining supervisor certifications.
Barriers to entry
From transportation to child care or re-entering the workforce after incarceration, ACI helps people who often face barriers to long-term employment, especially when they need training.
Sometimes these barriers come from unrealistic industry expectations.
“I think one of the things we hear from entrepreneurs sometimes is, ‘That’s great. Your program looks interesting, but we want people with two years of experience,’” Nidus said. “And one wonders how anyone gets a job in the field because everyone needed two years of experience.”
Nidus said he sympathizes with that mindset, as contractors often have to focus on delivering projects rather than training employees.
“The idea of that, maybe, that you’re going to have 20 people in a workplace and they’re all relatively green, maybe that’s not the way you want to set up your workplace, I get that,” he said. “But what I do realize is that there should also be a mix of people. You should always think about who is going to stay with your company for the long term.”
One method ACI has adopted to get workers experience without putting too much risk on employers is to offer internships, Oliveira said, encouraging employers to try out recent ACI graduates for $18 to $20 an hour.
“We will cover their salary and insurance for a period of 200 hours,” Oliveira told Construction Dive. “We’ve had quite a few employers hire full-time from this group of interns. So again, it’s really about bridging gaps to employment, compensating wages and getting to know graduates where they are in their travels”.
After graduation
Speaking to Construction Dive while catching the train home on a Friday evening, Maldonado said he made new connections through ACI, both within the organization and his new employer.
He has also connected others with the nonprofit, including a friend who is looking to re-enter the workforce after 10 years in prison. He said he knows the opportunity the trades present, but he also encourages those he’s introduced to ACI to work hard, partly so he doesn’t look bad for recommending them, he joked.
“I owe a lot to these people. Like my life hasn’t just changed for the better,” Maldonado said. “I can take care of my daughter better. I’m able to take care of myself better.”
Correction: This article has been updated with the correct spelling of Sophia Oliveira’s name.
