Construction Career Dreams Come True
Graduates of CSKILLS Apprenticeship Readiness Program in front of Moynihan Train Hall
Jamal Esteves dreamed of becoming a carpenter, but he needed help achieving his goal. Esteves enrolled in The Edward J. Malloy Initiative for Construction Skills (CSKILLS), a not-for-profit workforce development organization. For over 20 years, CSKILLS has provided pre-apprenticeship training and direct entry access to unionized apprenticeship programs for public high school graduating seniors and adult residents of New York City.
Estevez graduated from CSKILLS in December of 2020 and is now a second-year apprentice in the New York City District Council of Carpenters High Rise Concrete Local 212.
“I just think back to 15 months ago when I didn’t even know how to use a screw gun properly,” says Esteves. “Now I’m working in Times Square, building a 46 story hotel! CSKILLS definitely helped me make my dream come true.”
CSKILLS is a national model for addressing training and employment issues in the unionized construction industry. The organization has opened the door to meaningful long-term careers that offer high wages, medical benefits, and retirement security for more than 2,300 youth and adult residents of New York City. These opportunities empower individuals and strengthen communities.
CSKILLS recently upgraded its curriculum by adopting the Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3). Developed by North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), the MC3 is a comprehensive curriculum used by more than 200 ARPs in the United States and Canada. In addition, CSKILLS recently enhanced its services to provide OSHA 30 and 10-Hour SST certifications required by Local Law 196 for all workers on construction sites in New York City.
“We just ran the first few cycles of the MC3,” says Nicole Bertrán, Executive Vice President of CSKILLS. “The MC3 is the gold standard curriculum that produces candidates who are better prepared and, therefore, more competitive for these career opportunities.”
The MC3 includes courses such as Heritage of the American Worker, Construction Safety, Basic Math for Construction, Financial Literacy, Green Construction, and Sexual Harassment Awareness.
Rafael Santiago, a graduate of Ralph R. McKee High School in Staten Island, who enrolled in CSKILLS in 2010, says that CSKILLS was a “wakeup call to the real world.”
“The CSKILLS experience taught me to be early, prepared, and ready to work,” says Santiago. The summer after high school, Santiago woke up at 4am every day to attend CSKILLS and prepare for a future in the building trades. More than a decade later, he is well into his career as a journeryperson in Steamfitters Local Union 638.
“My favorite and most memorable job would be as a first-year apprentice, working on the Madison Square Garden renovation,” says Santiago. It was “a dream to help rebuild the arena your favorite team plays in every night.”
“The pandemic presented new challenges to CSKILLS, says Bertrán, but with a newly developed remote version of the MC3 and the cooperation of our training provider, Consortium for Worker Education (CWE), we were able to deliver services without interruption.”
“CWE has been a cooperative, steadfast training provider for over 20 years,” says Bertrán. With instructor training from NABTU, CWE staff was able to pivot to provide the MC3 remotely. CWE’s commitment to the CSKILLS mission is an important part of our success.”
“The most significant part of our success is the commitment to diversity and inclusion of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York (BCTC) and its affiliates,” says Bertrán. In 2020, after years of side-by-side collaboration, the four direct entry programs formally endorsed by the BCTC united to form the Apprenticeship Readiness Collective (ARC). The four ARC affiliates are: The Edward J. Malloy Initiative for Construction Skills, Nontraditional Employment for Women, NY Helmets to Hardhats, and Pathways to Apprenticeship. ARC creates a space for the exchange of shared ideas and goals. ARC also serves as a recruitment apparatus that BCTC union affiliates may leverage to enhance their diversity and inclusion efforts.
Saudia Khan, a graduate of Queens Technical High School, enrolled in CSKILLS in 2011. “I realized that I was the only female,” says Khan. “I knew at that moment that I will always have to bring my A-game to everything.”
Khan has since completed her apprenticeship, earned an associate degree in Labor Studies, and became a certified electrician and journeyperson of IBEW Local 3.
“I love waking up every day to know that I have a career with benefits,” says Khan. “Grateful is the best word to describe it.”
For more information, please visit www.constructionskills.org.