Building Futures Project Marks 100 Placements

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

The Community Services Agency's pre-apprenticeship training program recently celebrated a major milestone as its 100th graduate secured employment in the building trades. The achievement underlines the program's success in placing newly-trained workers despite the ongoing economic crisis. Building Futures Project program graduates are “working all over the city and enrolling in local union apprenticeship programs,” reports Job Development Coordinator Jenna Gold, including IUOE Local 99, Cement Masons Local 891, and Steam Fitters Local 602. While Gold says she’s "very excited about our graduates' accomplishments," she remains focused on the many graduates who are still working hard to find reliable employment. To date, the CSA’s Building Futures Project has placed a total of 108 workers, with an overall goal of placing 180 men and women. The project provides entry level workers with an introduction to the trades, safety certifications, and classroom instruction in blueprint reading and construction math. - photo: Building Futures Project graduate Tauriaj Broussard – shown here learning to use a mechanical trowel during a hands-on class at the Cement Masons Local 891 Apprenticeship Training Center in November 2009 – landed a job in the trades shortly after graduating from the first Building Futures class; photo by Sylvia Casaro-Dietert