Facebook Twitter Twitter    Archive | www.aapa-ports.org February 19, 2013
   

New York/New Jersey Port Authority Authorizes $2.25 Million for Pre-Apprenticeship Construction Training Programs

Print Print this Article | Send to Colleague

The Board of Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has authorized the investment of $2.25 million during the next three years to support construction pre-apprenticeship training programs in both states.

The agency is working with unions, non-profit groups, and government agencies in both New York and New Jersey to fund programs that help high school students, vocational school students, minorities and women develop the skills they need to obtain entry-level employment opportunities that may lead to careers in the construction industry.

In New York, the port authority is extending its original three-year commitment to the Construction Skills program, administered by the Edward J. Malloy Initiative for Construction Skills Inc. This pre-apprenticeship training program reaches a diverse population of students from all five boroughs of New York City. The agency will continue to contribute up to $100,000 per year through February 2016.

In New Jersey, the port authority is extending its original three-year commitment to help fund the Construction Careers initiative. This pre-apprenticeship training program includes the Newark Construction Careers (NCC) and New Jersey Pathways (NJP) programs. Both provide students and adults from a six-county area with opportunities in skilled construction trades. The port authority will continue to contribute up to $100,000 per year for three years to the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, which administers NCC, and up to $50,000 per year to the Construction Industry Advancement Program of New Jersey, which administers NJP.

The board also approved a three-year agreement to provide funds for the Civil Construction Worker Training and Entrepreneurial Development Center administered by the Urban League of Hudson County Inc. The program prepares Hudson County residents and small, minority and women-owned businesses to compete for opportunities on regional and civil construction projects. The port authority will provide up to $500,000 per year through February 2016.

Several unions have agreed to reserve a percentage of apprenticeship openings for program participants. Since 2001, almost 1,900 New York students have successfully completed the Construction Skills program, with almost 1,400 placed into apprenticeship programs affiliated with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York.

In New Jersey, approximately 1,375 participants have completed the NCC and NJP programs since 2001, with 837 successfully placed in union apprenticeship programs or related construction industry programs.
 

Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn