The Cleveland Latino Construction Program

Working Together to Build a Strong Future

The Cleveland Latino Construction Program

by Deb Draper Photos courtesy of Kenny Torres

The MetroHealth System in Cleveland, Ohio, announced plans for a $946 million transformation on its main campus on the West Side of the city in 2014. Among other things, the project would include an 11-story, 264-bed hospital to be completed by 2022, and at its peak time requires 500 to 650 workers. At least 80% of the workers had to come from local Cuyahoga County—a minimum of 20% African American and 10% Latino—and at least one-third of the contractors, vendors, and suppliers had to be minority- or woman-owned businesses.

This was going to be a challenge in an area that historically held low participation of Hispanics in registered construction apprenticeship programs. Many were unaware of opportunities, let alone how to access them, looking at barriers such as lack

“We’ve been reaching out to vocational schools, career fairs, Helmets to Hardhats, even regular high schools and counsellors, letting them know about the education, the apprenticeships, and opportunities we have to offer,” says Local 33 Business Manager, Todd Alishusky. “We’re looking everywhere.”

of exposure to the industry, inadequate transportation, and financial insecurity, and often without sufficient language resources. It would be no easy task to fulfill the requirements of this construction project, but it was also a huge opportunity for everyone.

In response, the Spanish American Committee in partnership with the project’s construction manager, Turner Construction Company, the Construction Employers Association (CEA), and the Hispanic Contractors Association, developed the Latino Construction Program, directly providing a pathway for the Hispanic community to enter apprenticeships and find placement in the construction industry.

During the six-week program, a dedicated instructor introduces participants to the many opportunities in the trades, an understanding of the local construction industry, and the purpose and importance of unions. Integrated language instruction assists those who may have previously worked in construction but don’t understand specific construction terminology in English.

On-the-job safety training is an important part of the preapprenticeship training, and at the end of the program, graduates receive their OSHA-10 certificate along with individual personal protection equipment so they are ready to go to work.

Of the 50 people who graduated from the first two classes that finished in 2018, more than 40 were accepted into apprenticeship programs. Some who had previous construction experience in Latin America were able to start as second-year apprentices, while others waited on specific jobs. A third class graduated in July this year.

“This Latino Construction Program initiative is benefitting our industry in a big way,” says David Wondolowski, executive secretary for the Cleveland Building & Construction Trades Council (CBCTC) . CBCTC represents 31 affiliated unions and district councils, including SMART Local 33. “One of our main objectives is to bring a more diverse workforce into the trades, and this program has already brought a lot of people into our apprenticeship programs.”

Most of the program grads have gravitated towards carpentry or general labor, reflecting the work they did in Latin America, but Latino Construction Program Manager Kenny Torres is working to expand their horizons. “In the next class that begins in August, we plan to interject more trades and educate our members on the other directions they can go in the construction industry,” says Torres. “To that end, we’re looking forward to establishing a better relationship with SMART Local 33.”

Local 33 Business Agent Todd Alishusky has been seeing a big demand for sheet metal workers all across the board, especially in the last six to nine months. “Everyone is looking for workers in all the areas of expertise. We’ve been reaching out to vocational schools, career fairs, Helmets to Hardhats, even regular high schools and counsellors, letting them know about the education, the apprenticeships, and opportunities we have to offer,” Alishusky says. “We’re looking everywhere.”

This past February, Local 33 and SMACNA Cleveland met with the Spanish American Committee to provide information about the apprenticeship opportunities for a career in sheet metal and discuss setting up pre-apprenticeship construction programs.

Tom Martin, president of SMACNA Cleveland and president of T. H. Martin Inc., agrees that the industry must be proactive in its recruiting techniques and that it must look at all the options available to help achieve its diversity goals. “At the meeting, we presented all the aspects of the sheet metal trade and the great opportunities that are available. We offered their organization an open invitation for their possible candidates to tour our local JATC to better understand our industry and all the different disciplines within the HVAC/sheet metal industry.”

He adds that the Cleveland JATC fund is looking into the possibility of offering direct entry as a first-year apprentice if the six-week program qualifies, and the training includes HVAC 101, sheet metal fabrication, union education, and safety regulations.

Even further, Torres sees the curriculum extending beyond construction workers. “We’re looking to complement this program and have the same type of approach for subcontractors,” he says. “We want to help and better prepare our current Hispanic contractors within the city to go to the ‘next level’ by focusing on building their profiles and connecting them to opportunities in subcontracting.”

With the support of the entire construction community, after only 18 months, the Latino Construction Program is changing the face of Cleveland’s construction workforce, already bringing over $400,000 into the Hispanic community in payroll alone. But even more lasting and meaningful, it is this kind of forward-thinking cooperation and effort that continues to move the entire industry forward and foster well-deserved pride in its skills and accomplishments. ▪

From her desk in Calgary, Alberta, Deb Smith writes for trade and business publications across North America, specializing in profiles and stories within the mining, recreation, and construction industries.