Building Futures Grads Work Together to "Get the Job Done"
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)From the US Navy to Cement Masons Local 891, veteran Paul Corbin is
transitioning into a career in construction to provide for himself and for his
family. “The years I spent out at sea taught me not to be afraid of work”
said Corbin (at right in photo), who
graduated from the Community Services Agency’s Building Futures program Monday
and was accepted into the Apprenticeship Program of Cement Masons Local 891.
“And what is so appealing to me about the union is that, just as when I was a
seaman, we all work together to get the job done.” The DOL-funded Building
Futures program’s latest class graduated fifteen students Monday with a host
of certifications, which are highly marketable for entry level construction
jobs, including 10 hours of Safety and Health, Traffic Control and Flagger
Safety, Green Technologies, CPR and First Aid. “You are all ambassadors
of this program” Metro Washington 
Council President Jos Williams told the graduates, “Now go, the
future is in your hands!”
Related
story: Rebuilding
the World Trade Center: Veterans Trade Helmets for Hard Hats with Union
Training; check out this moving video about the building trades’ Helmets to Hardhats initiative—a
national labor-management program
that connects transitioning members of the military with career training and job
opportunities within the building and construction industry.
- photos:
Corbin receiving an award from Walter Malakoff, Math Instructor (above),
graduating class (below); report/photos by Sylvia Casaro
