Natalie Kainz Photo
Yosef Shteirman.
For 21-year-old Yosef Shteirman, participating in New Haven’s construction jobs pipeline program has been a way to reconnect with his father’s legacy.
When his father passed away 10 years ago, Shteirman couldn’t pick up the skills that his father might have taught him in the construction field. Now Shteirman is committed to carrying the torch in the plumbing industry.
Shteirman is one of seven trainees in the city’s 11-week pipeline program, which intends to place graduates into local construction apprenticeships and jobs three weeks from now.
Shteirman reflected on his experience alongside program staff and city officials at a Thursday afternoon press conference held at the Downtown Crossing Phase 2 construction site on Orange Street.
“I’m learning so many skills that I would never have learned without the program,” said Shteirman, who has picked up CPR, construction safety training, and practical math skills so far. “They’re going to work with me months or even years after the program to check in on me until I am fully in a job. It’s more than you could ever ask for.”
Shteirman is part of the second cohort of the pipeline program. It started last year as a collaboration among the city, New Haven Works, Workforce Alliance, and the John J. Driscoll United Labor Agency. The students, who are all New Haven residents, are fully supported by the program financially. Textbooks, equipment, transportation, and childcare are provided by the program.
Tyra Stanley.
All 10 individuals who graduated in the pipeline’s first cohort last year have been successfully placed into jobs. New Haven Works Construction Program Coordinator Tyra Stanley said that when choosing candidates for the program, she looks for individuals who show initiative and dedication, even if they don’t have much initial experience with construction.
“We bend over backward to make everything available and accessible to our students,” said Stanley.
Justin Elicker.
At Thursday’s event, Mayor Justin Elicker noted the boom in construction projects across New Haven, even throughout the pandemic. Elicker committed to hiring as many New Haven residents as possible for the larger construction projects like Downtown Crossing. Phase 2 of the project, which aims to connect the Hill neighborhood to downtown New Haven, will include Connecticut’s first protected bike intersection.
Phase 2 of the Downtown Crossing construction project.
At the event, Michael Burch of AECOM — the inspector consultant on the Downtown Crossing Phase 2 project — spoke to students about civil engineering and inspection.
Michael Burch.
“The key thing about my job is working together as a team,” said Burch. “You have to hear what the other individual is saying whether he is a laborer or an engineer. As you get into a project, those individuals become like family to you so you want to make sure that by the end of the night, everybody goes home safe.”
Despite being the youngest student in his class, Shteirman said he always feels valued by everyone in the program. He sees his classmates three or four times a week, sometimes on Zoom and sometimes in person.
Deputy Economic Development Administrator Carlos Eyzaguirre at Thursday’s event.
There are 14 unionized construction trades with four to five-year apprenticeship programs registered with the state of Connecticut.
According to Deputy Economic Development Administrator Carlos Eyzaguirre, the ultimate goal of the pipeline program is to place the students into one of those apprenticeships.
“It’s one thing to guarantee a person a job, and it’s another to guarantee them continuous education into a career,” said Eyzaguirre.