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Students Learn About Construction and Themselves

The fall 2017 semester of our Apprenticeship Preparation Program has been in progress for the past month. Many of the new students have been adding their personal experiences to group discussions as well as learning hard job skills through classes. The APP is a personal and career development program that connects formerly incarcerated adults to opportunities in union construction trades. As program instructor Jeff Bellissimo put it to the class, “We want to give you a leg up and give you the skills that will make you stand out.”

So far through Life Skills sessions, facilitated by our amazing partner 2nd Call, students have been able to open up about low self-esteem, dysfunctional family dynamics, and experiences had while growing up. These discussions help our community members to learn more about themselves, thus allowing them to represent themselves better in job interviews, and work through personal issues they may have. Mock interviews have helped them learn how to be direct, confident, and calm during job interviews. They’ve also been going through thorough OSHA training, covering topics from recognizing unsafe work sites, to the importance of being aware of potentially dangerous chemicals. The math section of the curriculum has led to a refreshing course on how to add whole fractions and use them effectively in construction work. This Tuesday, APP students will be taking a trip to the Electrical Training Institute where they will be able to tour a real union training site.

We’re so excited to see this cohort succeed. As instructor and APP graduate Daniel Torres told the class on the first day, “It’s not us that creates success, it’s everyone that goes through the program.” Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and keep an eye on your inbox for more updates about the fall 2017 APP class.

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