An estimated 25,000 jobs in the Building Trades will open up in the next ten years as a whole generation of skilled workers hits retirement age. To remedy this impending labor shortage, the City of Los Angeles is in the midst of a major effort to recruit more workers for this critical sector.

Under the leadership of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and his staff, the City is partnering with local churches and the Building Trades around the Community Faith-Based Construction Initiative. In the past year this dynamic partnership has brought more than 500 African Americans from Los Angeles into this high-paying career path. The City has committed over $1 million in grant funds to build on this effort.

Front row from left to right: LaTanya Jones, laborer; Greg Irish, executive director-Workforce Investment Board; Richard Benbow, general manager-Community Development Department; Ken Jones Jr., ironworker; Desrae Temple, electrician; Chris Moore, electrician; Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Artavia Gipson, electrician; Rev. Leonard Jackson, Mayor’s staff; and John Reamer, Public Works Department, director-Bureau of Contract Administration. Second row from right to left: Robbie Hunter, ironworker, business manager; Vincent Lewis, electrician; Terrance Edwards, electrician; Chris Jefferson, electrician; Brian Youngblood, electrician; and James King, piledriver. Top row left to right: Shomari Davis, electrician, business manager; Deon Watson, electrician; Anton Evans, piledriver; John Thomas Jr., electrician; Ricky Thorpe, mason; George Tate Jr., electrician; and Eric Brown, electrician, business manager.

“At the Community Development Department, we administer the Mayor’s Community Faith Based Construction Initiative, and we know that jobs are key to a thriving community with self-sufficient families. We want candidates who are looking for a future for themselves and their families to step forward, tell us they want to work, and we will show them where the opportunities are,” said Richard Benbow, CDD General Manager.

A certified ironworker or electrician can earn upwards of $50 an hour, including the value of benefits. City leaders want to make sure that Los Angeles residents are first in line for these career opportunities in the Building Trades.

“Los Angeles is in the midst of a construction boom, and that translates into good-paying jobs for our communities,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “As we build the Los Angeles of the 21st Century, my office is committed to recruiting a local workforce that truly represents the community.”

Most public construction projects now require local hiring efforts, as well as mandating contractors to aggressively seek potential workers from underrepresented communities.

The UAW WorkSource Center at 3965 S. Vermont and PV JOBS are working diligently to prepare and place apprentices in the trades in collaboration with the outreach efforts of United Job Creation Council (UJCC). Apprentices are then paid for a period of usually four years while they learn their craft in the classroom and on the job. After what they call “the other four year degree,” journeymen can take their skills with them almost anywhere in the country.

“A career in the construction and building trades is a good investment in your future,” says John Reamer, the Director of the Bureau of Contract Administration, L.A. Department of Public Works. He is responsible for enforcing the local hire efforts. “We’re out in the community helping people get trained, get qualified, get a job and start a career. The Mayor’s Office, the city departments, the clergy and the Building Trades are collaborating on a fantastic outreach program to reach new workers, and now is the time to take advantage of these resources.”

Published in : News, Local

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