Building Pathways New Hampshire: "Program helps women get construction jobs"

Building Pathways New Hampshire (BPNH) is currently recruiting women for the next cycle of their five-week pre-apprenticeship program, which prepares individuals for "high-skill, high-wage construction careers" and assists eligible graduates with joining union apprenticeship programs (Foster's Daily Democrat, 3 Feb. 2015).

For more about BPNH or how to apply, check out the recent Foster's article about their February information sessions:

— Monday, February 9, Teachers Union Hall, 7 Tagart Dr, Nashua
— Thursday, February 12, Plumbers and Pipefitters hall, 161 Londonderry Turnpike, Hookset
— Monday, February 16, Seymour Osman Community Center, 40 Hampshire Circle, Dover

Interested applicants can also contact Joe Gallagher at 603-948-8161 or buildingpathwaysnh@gmail.com.

Repost: Women in Trades - An Apprenticeship Success Story

Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. (OTI) Executive Director Connie Ashbrook's recent post on the USDOL blog provides a concrete narrative of both the challenges that women face in entering the construction trades and the need for Registered Apprenticeship programs to focus on recruiting women. Ashbrook rightly states,

"Although many people believe it is women’s physical abilities that can keep them from succeeding in a trades career, the most challenging obstacle women have to overcome in becoming an apprentice is a lack of knowledge about these careers and how to successfully apply for apprenticeship" (Ashbrook, 17 July 2014).

Programs like OTI's pre-apprenticeship program continue to serve as an integral link for women to access good-paying jobs in the building trades. Read more about OTI and the success of their pre-apprentice Deawendoe “Dee” St. Martin at http://social.dol.gov/blog/.

Repost: What’s Next for Women in the Trades?

Great article written by Michael Theriault, Secretary-Treasurer of the San Francisco Building & Construction Trades Council, about the need to recruit and support more women in the building trades:

"While the old Building Trades pattern of white male exclusion of minorities, then, has been largely – even if not absolutely – superseded by a new, more complex reality, we still appear to exclude women.

We and the City can take many practical steps yet toward enrolling and supporting women in the Trades. We can target pre-apprenticeship programs primarily at women, as does a recent Iron Workers multi-trades welding program. We can insist that existing pre-apprenticeship programs target specific numbers of female apprenticeship candidates, as the Carpenters have done at John O’Connell High School. I have advocated for years for childcare programs with construction hours, which would benefit many men as well. We can ask successful Tradeswomen to serve as recruiters and mentors" (Theriault, 30 May 2014).

Visit http://www.sfbuildingtradescouncil.org/ to read the full article.

Repost: Newly launched program gives women a pathway to building trades

Great article in the May 16 2014 issue of New Hampshire Business Review describing Building Pathways New Hampshire (BPNH)'s efforts to help women access good jobs in the construction industry:

"Lisa Wiggin was looking for a career change. A 40-something nurse’s assistant, she wanted a job that was 'more hands-on' and gave her the satisfaction of working on a project and seeing something finished. 

At a visit to the unemployment office, Wiggin learned about Building Pathways New Hampshire, a program to provide pre-apprenticeship training to unemployed and underemployed women in hopes of building the female ranks in the construction industry. About 13 women were selected for the inaugural class, which began May 12 and runs for five weeks" (Lamontagne Hall, 16 May 2014).

Visit http://www.nhbr.com/ to read the full article.

Repost: Gov. Hassan talks of "Building Pathways" for women during building trades pre-apprenticeship info session

Word is getting out about the new pre-apprenticeship program, Building Pathways New Hampshire. Three dozen women attended Building Pathways New Hampshire's info session earlier this week and got to meet Governor Hassan, who spoke movingly about the power of doing non-traditional jobs, the critical value of construction to the state's economy, and the pride of doing challenging work.

Building Pathways New Hampshire's last info session will be held this Thursday, March 27, 6 - 7:30pm at 161 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett. Spread the word!

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By RYAN O’CONNOR
Union Leader Correspondent

HOOKSETT — For years, Gov. Maggie Hassan built pathways for herself, which ultimately led to the top spot in New Hampshire’s state government.

Monday, the first-term governor was at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Hall in Hooksett, encouraging other Granite State females to reach their dreams through Building Pathways, a new, no-fee pre-apprenticeship program designed to bring local women into the high-skill, high-pay world of union construction careers.

“As only the second woman governor in New Hampshire history, I know a little bit about taking the non-traditional path,” Hassan told the room of about three dozen woman and several men.

“Knowing you have a skill for businesses and to people is really, really transforming,” said Hassan. “I happen to know each one of you has it in you, just as someone told me 14 years ago when someone told me ‘why don’t you run for the state Senate.’”

Jane Triboletta said she’s an outspoken supporter of Hassan due to the governor’s vision for women in New Hampshire. In addition, she said admitted she felt she should be paying Building Pathways for the “amazing opportunity.”

Gov. Maggie Hassan was one of several speakers at Monday night’s

Building Pathways informational meeting at the Plumbers

and Pipefitters Hall in Hooksett. (Ryan O’Connor Photo)

“I’m 41 years old and I have a 16-year-old, and I want the next 20 years of my life to count for something ... to build things or work with people that can teach me something that can never be taken away from me,” she said.

Hassan said many women already have the ability to develop the skills necessary to succeed in perceived men’s careers but, in many cases, limit themselves mentally.

“For those of you that are mothers, know that nothing is as hard as being a mother, so you’re all set there,” said Hassan. “But you need to understand that you can do this ... and the other thing you will find is that there are a number of great men to be there by your side to help you ... and you get to turn around and help others do the same thing, and we will all get stronger through your success.”

Building Pathways has another informational session scheduled for Match 27 at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Hall at 161 Londonderry Turnpike in Hooksett. Those interested in additional information may call 491-2406.

Visit http://www.unionleader.com to view the original article.

Repost: Sisters of Philadelphia (video)

Great stories from UBC Sisters in Philly!


Sisters of Philadelphia from UBC Sisters in the Brotherhoo on Vimeo.

Repost: Building unions seek women

Great press on the new Building Pathways New Hampshire! Please spread the word to any individuals in NH interested in a career in the building trades.

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Tuesday, March 4, 2014

New Hampshire’s Building Trades Unions are looking for NH women who are seeking a good career with a future and who like working with their hands as well as their brain; who have a sense of adventure; and who like making good wages and benefits.

Building Pathways New Hampshire, a new pre-apprenticeship program designed to bring Granite State women into high-skill, high-wage construction careers is now seeking applicants for its upcoming training program slated to begin in mid-May. Building Pathways is a five week, hands-on education and training program in the building trades, with commitments to place qualified graduates into union apprenticeships.

Interested women MUST attend one of the four information sessions, which will be held on March 11, 13, 17, and 24 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Hall, 161 Londonderry Turnpike, Hookset.

Classes will start Monday, May 12, and end Friday, June 13, at the Carpenters Training Center in Manchester. Classes will be Monday – Friday, 7 am-3:30 pm, the typical construction day.

Students will get hands-on instruction in a number of trades including carpentry, electrical, sheetmetal, plumbing and more. They will earn their OSHA 10 and First Aid/CPR certificates. They will visit different training centers as well as an active construction site. The class is free of charge, but space is limited – only 13 women will be accepted.

“I’ve been a union carpenter for 25 years. I started my apprenticeship in 1989, and I have loved it. I’ve worked on heavy highway concrete jobs, and high-end finish jobs. I moved up the career ladder and worked for a contractor doing estimating, and now I work for the union. I’ve made good money, and have a real skill that no one can take from me. It’s been an incredibly rewarding career,” said Liz Skidmore, a long-time carpenter and now business manager of Carpenters Union Local 118.

“In most fields, women don’t get paid as much as men doing the same work. In the Granite State, women only get paid $0.77 to the dollar a man makes. I’m proud that in the union building trades, women get paid exactly the same, dollar for dollar, hour.”

Skidmore added, “Construction work isn’t for everyone – male or female; you have to want to work hard and work outside in all weather, but if you love the work, it’s a fantastic career. The health and retirement benefits are exceptional.”

The program is designed for female New Hampshire residents who are unemployed or underemployed, who are physically able to work in construction, are 18 or older, are authorized to work in the US, have a high school diploma or GED, are drug free and agree to drug testing, are on time, are interested in a construction career, can pass an eighth grade level English and math test and who have access to reliable transportation. Women of color and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.

The program is sponsored by the NH AFL-CIO, the NH State Building and Construction Trades Council, and the Carpenters Union. It is supported by federal Workforce Investment Act funds, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and program partners.

Anyone interested in applying should contact Joe Gallagher at 603-948-8161 or at buildingpathwaysnh@gmail.com. Program information can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/buildingpathwaysnh

Visit http://www.fosters.com/ to view the original article.

Repost: Illinois program recruits more women, minorities for construction work

By Judy Masterson

jmasterson@stmedianetwork.com

January 11, 2014

Wesley Simpson of Waukegan is serious about getting a good job, which is why he recently underwent a rugged 11-week training program for road construction.

“Getting this opportunity means a lot,” said Simpson, 33, who last earned $10 an hour as a forklift driver, a job in Aurora, more than 60 miles from home.

Road construction, though seasonal, pays well and offers good benefits. Simpson could earn between $15 and $20 an hour to start. If he lands an apprenticeship, his hourly wage would climb to $37.

“I need the money,” Simpson said. “I have a 6-year-old son to support.”

Simpson graduated in December from T.C.A.R.T., the Transportation Construction Apprenticeship Readiness Training, Referral and Intermodal Placement Program. It’s a long name for a clear-cut goal: recruiting minorities and women for government-funded road construction.

“The bottom line is right now in the state of Illinois approximately 92 percent of highway construction workers are white males,” said Rev. Arthur Gass, president of the Black Chamber of Commerce of Lake County. “Those numbers have to change if we’re going to be in compliance with state and federal mandates.”

The Black Chamber is one of four community-based organizations − the other three are in Chicago − that are working in partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation to recruit and train people for the program, which consists of three-weeks of classes in construction math and comportment and eight weeks of hands-on-construction training in south suburban Wilmington.

Just 125 T.C.A.R.T. spots are available for residents of Lake and McHenry counties; 532 applications were accepted.

Trainees are 85 percent African American, 12 percent Hispanic and 3 percent white, according to Gass, who said federal contracts require 16.9 percent minority and 6.9 percent female participation.

“The workforce ought to reflect the diversity of the community,” Gass said. “Highway construction jobs are supported by the motor fuel tax, 14 percent of which is paid by African Americans and yet we pick up less than 2 percent of those jobs. That’s pretty lopsided.”

Petite Coleman, 30, of Beach Park, last earned $12.31 an hour as a certified computer tech at a warehouse store in Vernon Hills. Her talent and liking for hands-on work came through during the technical training portion of T.C.A.R.T.

“Pouring and laying concrete was my favorite,” Coleman said. “The instructor had me doing multiple things and, by doing so many things, I was involved in the process from beginning to end.”

In road construction, Coleman said, she can work the same amount of hours but double her income. She wants to join a union. Her goal is to become a welding inspector, a job that requires a thorough knowledge of many trades.

“I’m a hard worker,” Coleman said. “I believe that you go to work to do your job. I don’t mind working long hours. I just want to be compensated.”

The Black Chamber will also work to help trainees find jobs for the springtime road construction season.

“We will reach out to any and all contractors, be they union or non-union, and make them aware that our people have the training, that they have the skill sets required and that they will make exemplary employees,” Gass said.

T.C.A.R.T. in Lake County has a 97 percent success rate so far, Gass said. The program has a zero tolerance policy for tardiness or absence. Trainees also have to figure out transportation to Wilmington, 95 miles south of Waukegan. Some have formed car pools. Some commute to Chicago to catch a bus from the Urban League office there.

“These are people determined to work and acquire the skills they need,” Gass said.

T.C.A.R.T., Gass said, “eliminates the excuse that contractors often use: that they can’t find qualified people.”

“They now have a pool of highly qualified people who have proven themselves,” Gass said.

For more information on the highway construction training program T.C.A.R.T., call the Black Chamber of Commerce of Lake County at (847) 599-9510 or the Chicago Urban League at (773) 285-5800.

Visit http://newssun.suntimes.com/ to view the original article.

Aspen Institute's Workforce Strategies Initiative Releases Report on Building Trades Apprenticeship Programs

Completion and Cancellation in the Building Trades, a recent report released by The Workforce Strategies Initiative at the Aspen Institute, analyzes the completion and cancellation rates in construction apprenticeship programs, including

• the barriers apprentices face
• the elements of successful program completion
• current retention efforts, such as counselors, mentoring, and pre-apprenticeship programs
• and recommendations for supporting program completion in the future.

Based on apprenticeship completion data, as well as testimonies from apprentices, journey workers, union representatives, construction contractors, pre-apprenticeship programs leaders, and other stakeholders, this study provides insight into the current state of apprenticeship programs and strategies for improving them.

Visit http://www.aspenwsi.org for more information.

Repost: Bill helps women, minorities get into construction trades

Oregon just passed legislation to use federal highway funds for pre-apprenticeship programs! This is just one option that states have to promote workforce diversity in the construction field.

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Jul 3, 2013, 10:39am PDT
By Wendy Culverwell, Real Estate Daily editor

Portland Business Journal

The Oregon Department of Transportation will spend up to $2.1 million in federal funds on programs that help women and minorities prepare for the construction trades under a bill headed to Gov. John Kitzhaber.

Senate Bill 831A, which passed in the Senate on June 29 and the House on July 2, directs the state transportation agency to spend federal funds on pre-apprenticeship training programs to increase diversity in the state’s construction workforce.

Under the current law, ODOT is authorized to use federal highway funds to involve more women and minorities in workforce training programs.

The bill provides a 40 percent increase in funding for programs that serve women and minority groups.

“These additional funds will allow us to expand our programs to women in under-served parts of the state,” said Connie Ashbrook, executive director of Oregon Tradeswomen Inc.

The bill passed in the Senate with a 28-1 vote and in the House with a 54-1 vote.

View the original article at http://www.bizjournals.com/portland.

Apply to Building Pathways Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Job Opportunity: Pre-Apprenticeship Training Project Director, UMass Amherst

POSITION OPENING: Pre-Apprenticeship Training Project Director 

Overview:
The Labor/Management Workplace Education Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is seeking a creative and experienced professional to launch and manage an innovative pre-apprenticeship training program, CommunityWorks, targeted to marginalized and underserved communities in Springfield and Holyoke. CommunityWorks is a broad coalition of employer, labor, education, workforce, and community-based organizations. The Project Director position is grant-funded, at least 50% time with benefits. Continuation beyond August 2015 is contingent upon funding.

Duties:
The Pre-Apprenticeship Project Director will oversee and coordinate the program as a whole, working collaboratively with multiple partners, sub-contractors, program staff, project sites, employers, unions, joint apprenticeship programs, community-based cultural associations, and the funding agency to insure smooth, effective functioning of the program.

The Project Director will be engaged in and provide oversight of the following activities: partnership development, participant outreach, participant recruitment, provision of training services, career coaching, budget tracking, data management, and project evaluation. To these ends, the Project Director will oversee a project staff, the size of which may fluctuate with multiple funding awards. The Project Director will report and work closely with the project Principal Investigator and will be the key liaison to the project funder, making sure that all narrative reports are completed in a timely manner. The Project Director will also meet regularly with, provide reports to, and solicit feedback from the project’s steering committee.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (in education, management, labor studies, or related field) and more than three years professional experience in education, management, labor studies, or adult education is required.
• Demonstrated knowledge of worker education, curriculum development, program planning, evaluation methods and participatory learning theory required. Excellent writing, partnership, and communication skills required.
• Work experience in the construction trades preferred.
• Teaching experience with the construction trades preferred.
• Advanced knowledge of budget monitoring, evaluation systems, and grants administration preferred

To Apply:

Send résumé and cover letter indicating desired position by June 20, 2013 to R43305, Employment Office, 167 Whitmore Administration Building, UMass, Amherst, MA 01003.

Normal FTE salary range is $40,100-$50,300, normal FTE starting salary range is $40,100-$45,200. Excellent benefits. The University of Massachusetts is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and members of minority groups are encouraged to apply.

Repost: At Old Colony, unions prove their worth

After 70 years, the Old Colony housing project in South Boston is getting a fresh start. The aging complex at the rotary where Columbia Road meets Old Colony Avenue has been transformed into 116 attractive new rental units made up of wood-framed townhouse-style homes, a six-story midrise, and a community center. The enhanced view from Dorchester Bay across Joe Moakley Park is only the most visible change in the neighborhood. The second phase of the Boston Housing Authority's master plan is now underway under an innovative project labor agreement that will produce 169 more rental units and, as importantly, offer some of the project's residents a pathway out of poverty.

The master plan is the result of a year-long community process that will ultimately create another 453 units along with the goals for job opportunities for public housing and local low-income residents. The PLA negotiated with Boston's building trades unions incorporates language that exceeds the city's standard hiring goals for residents, minorities, and women by establishing additional employment preferences for Section 3 residents from Old Colonyand the city's other public housing developments.

The project is making use of Building Pathways, a pre-apprenticeship program servicing Greater Boston, as well as other programs that prepare recruits with the soft and hard skills needed to thrive in the challenging world of construction. The PLA's commitment to diversity has already borne fruit. Forty participants have completed the Building Pathways program and are working in the trades. Ten more will be placed in upcoming months and an additional training cycle has been scheduled.

Almost half of the graduates are women; all are low-income Boston residents in search of a career, not just a one-time job. Tyiesha Thompson has lived at Old Colony for 10 years. A 38-year-old single mother of three, Thompson is now a union apprentice working on a high-rise in the Seaport District. As phase two of Old Colony unfolds, she hopes to be part of the renaissance of her home community.

Read the rest of this article at http://bostonglobe.com.

By Mark Erlich, executive secretary-treasurer of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters.
(c) The Boston Globe Mar 22, 2013

Women’s career fair revs up girls’ interest in trades

POSTED: Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 01:42 PM PT

BY: Lindsey O'Brien
Tags: Oregon Tradeswomen, students

Some girls covered their ears as a jackhammer emitted loud blasts and sent streams of dust into the air, but Breah Etherly’s eyes lit up during a concrete breaker demonstration on Thursday.

Eighth-grader Ka'Terria Phillips, left, gets a lesson in tying rebar from Kirk Bearden, an ironworker with Local 29, during the 20th annual Women in Trades Career Fair. (Photo by Sam Tenney/DJC)

If you go:

What: Nontraditional career fair connecting girls and female job seekers to apprenticeship and job training opportunities in building, construction, mechanical, technical and utility trades.
When: Today, for registered high school girls; Saturday, for the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Also on Saturday, at 1:30 p.m., Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. will present an information session about its free seven-week pre-apprenticeship class for women.
Where: NECA/IBEW Electrical Training Center, 16021 N.E. Airport Way in Portland
Cost: Free.

“It’s nice to say you tried something new,” said Etherly, an eighth-grader at Harvey Scott School. “Working with different tools is good exposure for girls.”

The jackhammer workshop, led by women from the Oregon and Southern Idaho Laborers and Employers Training Trust, was among dozens of events taking place during the 20th annual Women in Trades Career Fair at the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center in Northeast Portland.

Nearly 600 girls from 21 middle schools revved up power tools, climbed electrical poles, built birdhouses and learned about careers in the trades to kick off this year’s event.

“Our efforts over the years have meant that Oregon has two times the number of women in trades compared to other states that don’t have similar efforts,” saidConnie Ashbrook, executive director ofOregon Tradeswomen Inc., which started the fair in 1993.

Although many of the middle school students at the fair said they aren’t planning on pursuing careers in the trades, one of OTI’s goals is simply to expose more young women to the construction industry.

“Most of the girls have never used a power tool before and are afraid of the noise at first,” said Aida Aranda, an apprentice coordinator for the training trust. “But once they get out here, it encourages them to open their eyes.”

Zakeiba Ofusu, left, and Zharia Hale, both eighth-graders at the SEI Academy, learn to repair a broken water main at a station sponsored by the Portland Water Bureau. (Photo by Sam Tenney/DJC)

She added that middle school girls are becoming increasingly receptive to careers in the trades, especially as the industry ramps up its outreach through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

On the other side of the fair, roofers from Local 49 set up a table to demonstrate some of the materials and processes they use to build green roofing systems, which many of the students from H.B. Lee Middle School didn’t even know existed.

“These roofs actually help the environment and make things better for people,” seventh-grader Karly Emmett said.

The middle school girls built flowerpots using adhesives, primers and single-ply sheets that roofers use on the job.

Tationia Thompson, left, learns to connect structural beams under supervision from Kat Lakey, an ironworker with Local 29. (Photo by Sam Tenney/DJC)

The goal Thursday was mainly to demonstrate that “girls can do anything,” said Heidi Kameroff, a roofing apprentice who is directing the Local 49 workshop this year. But today, she added, the event will host hundreds of high school girls, who are more focused on career possibilities.

“We figure the middle school girls are just exploring at this point, so it’s good to give them a taste of what we do,” Kameroff said. “The high school girls will actually do some heat welding – it’s going to be really cool.”

A few high school students are ahead of the game, however. Juniors and seniors from ACE Academy led a workshop on Thursday, helping younger girls build wooden puzzles.

ACE, a shared-time program for juniors and seniors interested in entering the building industries, is seeing more interest from girls. The school’s director, Mike Bryant, said the growth is a direct result of events like the Women in Trades Career Fair.

“Our population of female students has doubled this year,” he said. “Why? These events are having an impact; they’re changing the construction industry.”

Retrieved from: http://djcoregon.com/news/2012/05/17/womens-career-fair-revs-up-girls-interest-in-trades/

Girls Get Up-Close Career View At Boston Area School Project

03/26/2012

By Johanna Knapschaefer in Dedham

Text size: A A

Courtesy of Nitsch Engineers

Engineer Christine Breen boosts industry's prospects to students, ages 10 to 18.

Avery Elementary School, an $18-million project in Dedham, Mass., was the site on March 14 for a hands-on classroom in which 150 middle- and high school girls learned how engineering directly affects their world and about the potential for a career in the industry. In the annual program sponsored by Nitsch Engineering, female professionals shared their passion for the work and the challenges of doing technical jobs that involve teamwork.

This year's event—co-sponsored by Consigli Construction, WSP Flack + Kurtz, GEI Consultants and the Engineers Design Group—showed students how different engineering skills are applied inside and outside a building, including, for example, traffic flow and stormwater management, says Nitsch President Judith Nitsch. Jennifer Rand, a Consigli assistant project manager, told the girls about green building and how many materials for the project—the state's first LEED Gold elementary school—had to come from within 500 miles of the site.

Nitsch notes the students' curiosity and enthusiasm, adding that past attendees have gone on to study engineering at MIT, Boston University and the U.S. Naval Academy, among other top schools.

"It was cool talking to people and asking questions about watershed management," says Jenna Glen Wixson, 13, of Kittery, Maine. "I don't know what I want to do in the future, but now I know something about engineering when I didn't really know anything before."



Retrieved from: http://enr.construction.com/business_management/workforce/2012/0326-Girls-Get-Up-Close-Career-View-At-Boston-Area-School-Project-.asp

December Organization to Watch: SAW Youth Program

Quick read: The SAW Youth Program is a community program in the Boston area that supports young women aged 14-24 to build life skills to become successful community members, advocates, and tradeswomen.

Have you heard of the SAW Youth Program?

November 29, 2011

Dear Friends and Supporters:

The SAW Youth Program is seeking financial sponsors whose contributions will enable us to build and continue our program year round. Since the commencement of the program last year, we have established strong partnerships with other community organizations and incorporated many collaboration efforts that not only benefit our program but also strengthen the communities in which we live, work and are most effected. The SAW Youth Program was established for at-risk young women, ages 14-24 from seven neighborhoods in the Boston area: Roxbury, South End, Jamaica Plain, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, and Roslindale with the goal of getting them off the path of destruction and onto the path of construction. Through our program we promote life skills, health education & physical fitness, self-esteem, relationship building, secondary education planning, job readiness, television production, financial literacy and offer an array of awareness workshops such as anti-bulling, medical insurance basics, environmental awareness as well as an opportunity to consider a career in the building trades - in a safe and supportive environment. Currently all of our participants are from low-income families.

The SAW Youth Program is located at the Blackstone Community Center in the South End of Boston. This facility allows us to provide a safe haven for our participants to learn and grow to their full potential. In our first summer cycle, our goal was to enroll 24 at-risk young women in our program with a 100% completion rate. We are pleased to report that we had a success rate of 92%. Two of our participants acquired full time employment, one participant was accepted into a trade program and one participate was accepted into a GED program. The remainder of our participants returned to school and became valued members of our first Alumni Class. The Alumni Class was able to continue to use valuable resources throughout the fall which included but was not limited to, health and wellness training, post secondary education workshops, job search assistance, mentoring, tutoring, Drivers Education Training, computer training and membership to the Roxbury Boys & Girls Club now the Yawkey Club of Roxbury. It is now clear that our approach demands a 12 month involvement during which time we continue to build on the “Alumni” services which are needed in our communities.

SAW truly appreciates the support we have received from so many of you during our first two years and encourage you to remember the SAW Youth Program with its path of construction in your year-end charitable giving. State funding has been drastically reduced for teen programs while at the same time parents’ ability to pay their children’s way has become even more difficult. In order to continue to offer this unique program free to our participants, SAW will need all of our friends to give - whether they be churches/temples, foundations, city/state entities, local businesses or individual donors.

Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to help us expand and keep our program running at its highest level in 2012. Our fund-raising goal for this effort is $137,000. Thank you for your interest and investment in our young women of Boston.

Sincerely,

Me’Chelle “Mikey” Myles, Executive Director

Attention Boston Residents: Building Pathways Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Quick read: Here is the flyer for the 7-week construction training program that starts in February. Interested Boston residents who meet the requirements must attend an info session to join the program.

Retrieved from an email from a project coordinator of the Building Pathways Career Opportunities

Building Pathways Building Trades Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Dear Friend,

The Building Pathways Pre-Apprenticeship Program is a 7-week construction training program. Participants of Building Pathways will be placed into the construction trade of their choice upon completion of our training program. There are 15 slots available in our second training cycle starting on February 27, 2012. Outreach has begun for Cycle 2. I have attached outreach flyers to this email. The dates on these flyers are most likely the last available dates for outreach sessions.

Applicants must attend an information session to begin the process of being selected for the program. Applications will be given to those who are interested in the Building Pathways Program after the information session (info session takes about an hour). People are paid $1500.00 for their participation in the 7-week training program and placed into an apprenticeship upon completion of the program (Carpentry, Electrical, Plumbing, etc.). This is a great opportunity for Boston residents.

...

I sincerely think this is a good opportunity for Boston residents that meet the requirements on the flyer. Please call or email me with questions.

Thank you. I appreciate your help.

Sincerely,
Brian Doherty, Project Coordinator

Building Pathways Building Trades Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Phone: 617-282-2242