Larry Gunner’s path to a construction career started with a Google search.
“I just looked up ‘free programs,’ actually, and it came up,” he said. “Everything was paid for.”
On Friday, Gunner and 17 others graduated from nonprofit Construction Ready’s month-long training program. They were handed a certificate, several nationwide trade certifications, a class photo — and a job match from a local company.
A crowd of relatives and friends applauded as graduates filed into the auditorium at the East Point City Annex building. The 18 lined up in bright T-shirts and jeans or black work pants. Called to a lectern one by one, they read off their job offers: Raynard LaNier Jr., UJAMAA Construction. Andrea Marks, H.J. Russell & Co. Wahhad Allah, Georgia Power.
For Gunner, it was construction firm Merrick & Co. Although other industries are letting people go, skilled trades are secure jobs, Gunner said.
“I don’t want a job. I want a career,” he said. “I want to work with my hands, work my way up.”
The previous day, students met with dozens of employers. Seventy jobs were on the table, according to Luke Fletcher, Construction Ready senior director of recruitment: more than there were students to fill them.
Seeger Gray / AJC
Seeger Gray / AJC
Construction Ready was established 31 years ago to prepare young people for skilled trade jobs. Johnny Hughes, Construction Ready vice president for training & development, said about 30 construction firms in the Atlanta area got together to discuss their need for thousands of workers.
“We have trained 1,801 graduates over the last 10 years,” he said. Of those students from 138 classes, 96.5% were paired with employers on graduation, Hughes said.
Funding comes from many sources, including Fulton County and Aerotropolis Atlanta. East Point offered the classroom space.
Hughes said he was the instructor for the first Construction Ready session at that location. This was the seventh.
The eight certifications they earned usually take months to get, Gunner said.
“Here we did it in one month,” he said.
All their training took place in the same room where they graduated. Students learned construction safety, relevant math and more. Gunner is particularly interested in training as an electrician.
“I like to know how things work,” Gunner said.
The program is open to ages 18 and up, said Veda White, Construction Ready director of admissions & community impact.
“Our oldest student was 72 years old, three years ago in Savannah,” she said.
Anyone interested in can go to www.constructionready.org and click the “get trained” button, White said. A recruiter will be in contact to set up a skills assessment and panel interview.
But there are only 21 seats per class, with a waiting list of five, White said.
Construction Ready tries to offer 13 training sessions each year throughout Georgia, she said. It recently expanded to hold a session in Jacksonville, Florida.
“We’re actually getting ready to have a class in Newnan,” White said.
The group also offers training for jail inmates in DeKalb and Cobb counties, anticipating their job needs upon release, she said.
Applicants have to pass regular drug screenings, Hughes said. Construction Ready does background checks but is a “background-friendly organization,” willing to give most people a second chance, he said.
Starting pay averages $13 to $17 per hour, according to the program.
Seeger Gray / AJC
Seeger Gray / AJC
Twenty-eight companies participated in Thursday’s hiring fair, said Nick Bruno, Construction Ready admission & retention manager. Many of them are working on the massive Centennial Yards redevelopment, White said.
Instructor Daniel Jean-Baptiste said not all the jobs available are just physical labor.
“And I’m proof of that,” he said. “I’m a graduate of the program, actually. I used to be a student, I went through the class.”
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