More than 100 community members interested in construction careers attended the “Construction 101” workshop put on by Metro, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE) and other community partners at Inglewood City Hall on Saturday, Jan. 29.
The workshops put eager residents on the career path by covering the basics and putting first things first. Interested participants learn how to find out about construction projects, where to apply, where to get training, how to get union certification and how to acquire the required level of skills.
The workshops also bring together resources for pre-apprenticeship, life skills and professional development.
“It’s a college prep for the construction trade,” said Metro’s Construction Careers outreach coordinator Miriam Scott Long. “I was grateful to hear from two young men attending the workshop who told me they were tired of street life and wanted to have a career.”
The Construction Carreers Policy (CCP) is part of the transportation agency’s Project Labor Agreement (PLA)
The nationwide program aims to encourage construction employment and training opportunities on Metro construction projects to those who reside in economically disadvantaged areas.
The City of Inglewood hosted the confab and the program’s mentors. They are: Metro, LAANE, Trade Union Apprenticeship Coordinators, Black Worker’s Center, 2nd Call, WINTER (Women in Non-Traditional Employment Roles), YouthBuild , Workforce Investment Board representatives, WE Build and Southeast LA Worksource Center.
The Inglewood workshop was fourth in an ongoing series on construction careers preparation. Similar workshops will be offered throughout Los Angeles County in the coming year.
Categories: Policy & Funding, Transportation News
I agree Linnea, colleges are so overcrowded now its hard for the kids to get in and take classes. They should be exposed in high school to various areas of construction and trades so a clearer path can be established once graduation comes.
Why isn’t this happening in high school, so that the young people can get on-the-job training during half the day and academics the other half, and get a job as soon as they graduate?