RABHYA MEHROTRA PHOTO
Elicker, speaking at the presser.
The city Thursday afternoon unveiled a new job-training program aimed at helping New Haven residents gain construction skills.
The announcement took place at a press conference held outside the government office building 200 Orange St. The in-person component of the program is held inside the building.
“With our Together New Haven economic resiliency initiative, we are looking at ways to restart our workforce economy,” said Mayor Justin Elicker.
An estimated 7,000 individuals, or almost 10 percent of the city’s workforce, is currently unemployed.
“We’ve been looking at ways the expanding industries in New Haven can provide opportunities for New Haven residents who are very much struggling,” Elicker said.
“ New Haven is still very resilient when it comes to construction and we see buildings going up all the time,” said Elicker. Out of the total breakdown of unemployment, construction only accounts for 4 percent of the total claims. And over 750 housing permits have been given out this year, he added.
Called the Construction Workforce Pipeline, the pilot program is in week six out of ten.
“We’ve extended [the program] to ten weeks to allow for social distancing,” explained Katherine Mamed, executive director of the John J. Driscoll United Labor Agency. She has helped run 15 similar programs around the state. This is the first time the program has been run in New Haven.
Thursday’s announcement follows protests held this summer in which small contractors rallied against the lack of jobs and contracts for Black workers and firms in government-funded construction projects. The Elicker administration promised a response.
The new program costs $70,000, according to city economic development chief Michael Piscitelli. The city and the Workforce Alliance split the bill.
When asked if the city will continue to fund future cohorts, Elicker responded that he will “wait and see the results of the pilot.”
“We will see if participants either are employed or continuing training – basically, if they are self sufficient,” said Kymbel Branch, manager of career development services at the Workforce Alliance.
Mamed explaining the program.
This pilot had ten participants, selected from a pool of applicants. The participants completed 20 hours at home in online learning along with eight hours of in-person training each week, adding up to 280 hours. “It’s fairly rigorous,” Mamed said.
The program emphasizes skills such as blueprinting reading and measuring, construction basics, and mathematical tools. And at the end, participants earn a variety of certifications, including First Aid/CPR, OSHA 10, MC3 National Building Trade Certification.
After the program, the participants apply for apprenticeships.
“The New Haven Building and Construction Trades has 14 different union trades. Each one has an apprenticeship that can last four to five years,” said Chris Cozzi, the organization’s president. He compared it to a college education, “but free.”
Apprenticeships are limited. The program can’t guarantee all of its expected graduates – of which there are eight – will receive one. “We will try to help people find a non-union job in the interim,” said Bill Villano, president of Workforce Alliance. He mentioned that projects without labor agreements give apprentices lower pay, so “they’re a little bit cheaper on the labor side.”
Paden: “It wasn’t about me, really. It was for my kids.”
One participant, Tasheem Paden, lives in Quinnipiac Meadows. He was working in customer service before the pandemic, he said. Then he was laid off.
“I didn’t really have many resources in my job search,” Paden said. He has three children, ages 1, 2, and 7. “It’s not even about me. I just wanted to do better and be a better person and this program seemed like a step forward,” he said.
Paden said he hopes to work in plumbing: “That’s a trade that can never go out of style ‘cause, you know, everyone needs to use the bathroom.” The remark drew a chuckle from the group.
“Being able to give the individuals skills not only helps them as job seekers but also meets the needs of our area employers,” said Villano. “We’re putting individuals on a career pathway that will benefit them for their rest of their lives.”