{"id":49,"date":"2018-09-14T17:51:15","date_gmt":"2018-09-14T17:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.djcorprod.wpengine.com\/skilledmag\/?p=49"},"modified":"2018-09-24T12:40:31","modified_gmt":"2018-09-24T12:40:31","slug":"better-prepared-better-motivated-better-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/djcoregon.com\/skilledmag\/2018\/09\/14\/better-prepared-better-motivated-better-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Better prepared, better motivated, better workers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Oregon<\/a>

Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. carpentry instructor Mercy Sammah, foreground, helps fellow instructor Sarah Moore frame a tiny house at Dignity Village in Northeast Portland. (Josh Kulla\/91视频)<\/p><\/div>\n

Pre-apprenticeship programs serving the construction industry in the Portland-metro area continue to be popular.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s clear why.<\/p>\n

Contractors, unions and other stakeholders know that graduates of such programs \u2013 including Oregon Tradeswomen Inc.\u2019s Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC) \u2013 are more likely than others to thrive in the trades. Retention rates are better for pre-apprenticeship graduates, and they\u2019re better prepared to hit the ground running when they are hired, according to industry officials.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about bringing in people that are ready to go work, and sometimes that jump from high school to the industry is a difficult one,\u201d said Aida Aranda, director of the Laborers\u2019 International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 737 Training Center in Northeast Portland. \u201cIt\u2019s just being well prepared for coming into the industry. And that\u2019s where I think pre-apprenticeships do have a place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amid a prominent shortage of skilled labor in the construction industry, the 91视频 is taking a closer look at how OTI is making a difference with its TACC, which is offered quarterly through the Pathways to Success Program. In the second part of a three-part series<\/a>, industry insiders and professionals speak about how TACC graduates are better prepared to enter the trades and how contractors are benefiting.<\/p>\n

Building skills, connections<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amy James Neel is OTI\u2019s training director and a 25-year construction industry veteran. She previously founded and ran Left Bank Construction, a homebuilding firm. She knows what contractors are looking for, and that is what OTI delivers, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason our graduates are a better hire and why they are more likely to succeed is they know what they are getting into,\u201d she said. \u201cThis program is modeled after the expectations of the industry. This is a mini version of what the industry is going to expect of them, and they know exactly what they are signing up for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students in the TACC gain industry-standard soft skills as well as time and opportunity to determine which skilled trade is right for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only do they have the trade options,\u201d Neel said, \u201cbut the big benefit of having gone through (TACC) is that at the end of that eight weeks each student gets to meet with a career counselor and set a path for how to get to an end goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

If a student likes pile driving or welding, for example, Neel said, OTI career counselors can rely on deep connections in the industry and send graduates to the appropriate apprentice coordinators.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach of them have different requirements,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, one of the benefits is that you have access to all that information, and we can directly connect you with what you need to start a career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mercy Sammah graduated from OTI\u2019s pre-apprenticeship program several years ago. Now, she is a carpenter working on residential projects big and small. She also is a carpentry instructor for OTI; last week, she taught students at Dignity Village in Northeast Portland. There, students who plan to focus on a carpentry career are building a pair of tiny houses.<\/p>\n

\"Oregon<\/a>

Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. pre-apprenticeship student Bri Pardue helps frame a pair of tiny houses at Dignity Village in Northeast Portland. (Josh Kulla\/\/91视频)<\/p><\/div>\n

TACC graduates are definitely better prepared than those without similar training to enter the trades, Sammah said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a student comes here (to a training site), they\u2019re not going to be just hammering all day,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re going to learn to use multiple tools, multiple power tools, multiple hand tools. They get to learn everything about it and I get to teach it to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watching students gain confidence is Sammah\u2019s favorite part of being an instructor, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they\u2019re extremely employable,\u201d she said. \u201cI know when our students get on the list for apprenticeships they get higher up to the top just by being in this program. And Oregon Tradeswomen has such a good reputation within the trades that they know we\u2019re not going to allow them to use tools improperly; we\u2019re going to show them the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n

A different kind of employee<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many people who have experience working with pre-apprenticeship graduates tend to agree that they more often than not are better prepared for the industry.<\/p>\n

An apprenticeship is a very different path than college, according to Bridget Quinn, the workforce development coordinator for the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center in Northeast Portland. Pre-apprentices, she said, have a \u201crealistic expectation\u201d of the workplace culture they are entering. Despite IBEW Local 48 being \u201cswamped\u201d with apprenticeship applications, she added, those with completed pre-apprenticeships usually stand out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe majority of their time is spent in the field working with other electricians, and it\u2019s not at all a college environment,\u201d Quinn said of the typical apprentice electrician. \u201cThe real world is that these contractors are out to make a profit and complete their projects. And there\u2019s very little leniency. Pre-apprenticeships focus on the soft skills, and I think it really gives them a leg up in that regard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leah Thibeau is an administrative assistant at the Pacific Northwest Ironworkers Local 29 Training Center in Northeast Portland. She doesn\u2019t directly train apprentices, but she handles applications and other aspects of hiring and has closely observed which types of applicants tend to succeed as ironworkers.<\/p>\n

\u201cDepending on the pre-apprenticeship program, and Oregon Tradeswomen is absolutely one of the best, we usually get really strong candidates from them,\u201d Thibeau said. \u201cIt\u2019s people who have been exposed to a variety of apprenticeships and a variety of trades and they make an educated choice compared with people who walk in the door and don\u2019t have that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Contractors are no different in their experience.<\/p>\n

Portland-based Vigor Industrial is one of the largest marine contractors in the Northwest. Hilary Pickerel, workforce development manager for the firm, said it has routinely hired apprentices for shipbuilding trades directly from OTI and other pre-apprenticeship programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our experience,\u201d she said, \u201cthe women that complete OTI\u2019s pre-apprenticeship programs, with the intent to begin an apprenticeship program, have a high level of commitment to the job and to a career path within the trades. These are exactly the type of employees Vigor wants.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Oregon<\/a>

Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. instructor Elizabeth Bryant helps frame a tiny house being built at Dignity Village in Northeast Portland. Bryant works as a stonemason when she isn\u2019t teaching OTI pre-apprenticeship classes. (Josh Kulla\/91视频)<\/p><\/div>\n

The company\u2019s connections with OTI and others, Pickerel said, are also helping it overcome a shortage of skilled labor as well as increase workforce diversity.<\/p>\n

\u201cPartnering with organizations like OTI helps us fill those gaps,\u201d she said. \u201cOur sense is that because these women enter the trades with understanding as to the work environment and commitment to a career in the trades, they are more likely to stick with it and progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

For TACC graduates, it\u2019s about getting into and surviving an apprenticeship, Neel said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBills, child care, travel \u2013 all of those are really rough on new apprentices, particularly single mothers,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we can help you through that process. That connectivity is something that is critical for marginalized populations of people getting into trades.\u201d<\/p>\n

More opportunities and diversity<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aranda, who serves on the Oregon State Apprenticeship and Training Council, said the training being performed by OTI and others is an important service. The Oregon Legislature last year even helped ensure more usage of apprentices when it passed House Bill 2162. It requires contractors handling certain state public improvement projects to employ at least 10 percent apprentices.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you look at apprenticeships, it is such a public service,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019re training people and using public funds in the construction industry for that training. We\u2019re investing in our youth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, OTI is reaching a segment of the population significantly underrepresented in construction. The industry has long employed primarily white men, Neel said. Pre-apprenticeship programs help overcome those barriers and even end up benefiting \u201clegacy\u201d firms dominated by family connections.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen and people of color have been locked out of that secret handshake,\u201d she said. \u201cWhite men don\u2019t have trouble accessing it, but women and people of color do have trouble. So Oregon Tradeswomen doubles that connectivity that traditional workers already have. That\u2019s a huge reason why pre-apprenticeships are important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, to get there, individuals first must believe OTI\u2019s Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class is where to start. Then graduates eventually reap benefits that can be shared by employers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they enter an apprenticeship after our program, they are absolutely ready and committed,\u201d Neel said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s just not the case with someone who only knows about the industry peripherally.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: In the final story, scheduled to appear Sept. 3 in the 91视频, Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class graduates will discuss what they\u2019ve learned and how they hope to apply it in the construction industry. OTI officials and builders will explain how employment connections can be made.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pre-apprenticeship programs serving the construction industry in the Portland-metro area continue to be popular. And it\u2019s clear why. Contractors, unions and other stakeholders know that graduates of such programs \u2013 including Oregon Tradeswomen Inc.\u2019s Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC) \u2013 are more likely than others to thrive in the trades. Retention rates are better …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5138,"featured_media":173,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18615],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-headlines"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/djcoregon.com\/skilledmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/djcoregon.com\/skilledmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/djcoregon.com\/skilledmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/djcoregon.com\/skilledmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5138"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/djcoregon.com\/skilledmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/djcoregon.com\/skilledmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/djcoregon.com\/skilledmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/djcoregon.com\/skilledmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/djcoregon.com\/skilledmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/djcoregon.com\/skilledmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}