This is the second installment in a two-part series on the Detroit Regional Workforce Fund’s Access for All pre-apprenticeship training program. New classes begin on Feb. 6.
by Olga Hill
Hundreds of Detroiters, men and women, turned out on Monday, Jan. 30, to register for Access for All, the very successful Detroit Regional Workforce Fund pre-apprenticeship program.
The program, now entering its sixth cohort, hosted a career and training fair on Monday, Jan. 30, to educate Detroiters about employment and training opportunities in the skilled trades, and prepared them to secure sustainable income employment in construction Detroit’s booming construction arena.
“The event [was] an outreach session for Detroiters to better understand the opportunities that exist within the construction industry. We’ve got trade representatives here from the operating engineers, the iron workers, the carpenters, masons, electricians, plumbers and outfitters,” said Donald O’Connell, engagement consultant for Access for All.
Detroit Regional Workforce Fund director Karen Tyler-Ruiz explained there are 23 trades in construction industry: “What Access for All has helped to do, is help participants find ‘the door’ or the access point to get into the trades. Access for All helps pull potential workers together and acclimate them to that process.”
The program’s nine-week training begins on Feb. 6.
To date, nearly 100 participants have completed the pre-apprenticeship program with 91 percent of those who complete the training finding employment, and 66 percent securing entry into apprenticeship programs.
“We are a readiness program. You can come out and go straight into a job because of the credentials you’ll have,” says Ruiz-Tyler. “Those coming out of the program earn on average $15 per hour. But if you go on and become a journey, which takes three to five years, you are working and earning $28 to $36 an hour, which is not the ceiling. Many people in the construction industry earn six figures.”
The minimum qualifications required to participate in the Access for All program are:
• Detroit resident
• Have a high school diploma or GED
• Be 18 years or older
• A Valid Michigan driver’s license
• Ability to pass a drug test
• Subject to a criminal background check
• Minimum 10th grade reading and math (determined by assessment)
• Experience in the building trades is a plus
“Access for All helps folks understand safety, culture, and how to deal with situations on the jobsite. It helps them with the academic portion of our industry,” adds O’Connell. “Yes, we work with our hands, but a 10th grade math level is necessary to be successful. You need to be able to read and write well.”
As Detroit rebuilds and refocuses on its infrastructure, contractors and construction industry insiders have expressed concern that identifying and hiring qualified workers living within the city limits has been a challenge and presents problems in meeting mandatory hiring requirements imposed by the City of Detroit. Pursuant to Executive Order, 51 percent of the workforce and work hours performed on construction project must be performed by bona fide Detroit residents.
“Right now, Detroit is exploding and we should expect to see more and more cranes around. You see what Dan Gilbert’s been doing downtown, the [Gordie Howe International Bridge] is still in the works, and there are a lot of other commercial buildings are going up,” says Ruiz-Tyler. “So demand for [qualified workers] has already escalated, and it’s going to continue to escalate over the next five years.
“There is rigor and there is academic rigor involved. But the investment we make overtime to get you that journeymen card is about $255,000. You’re not paying that in tuition and you’re working … that’s why this is such a great opportunity.”
Detroiters interested in applying for Access for All’s nine-week training class which begins on Feb. 6, should visit https://accessforalldetroit.com to enroll right away.
About Post Author
