Yonkers IDA partners with Building and Construction Trades Council to create Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Yonkers, NY Nearly 100 Yonkers residents seeking construction careers in union building trades turned out to enroll in a pre-apprenticeship program launched by the Yonkers IDA. The program, in cooperation with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Westchester and Putnam Counties, NY AFL-CIO, will provide paid apprenticeships in a variety of union building trades for residents 18-24 who are unemployed or underemployed. 

Pathways to Apprenticeship (P2A) along with Building and Construction Trades Council of Westchester and Putnam Counties, NY AFL-CIO will oversee the training program. The 25-day training program to run from August 6-September 7. 

The IDA approved spending up to $250,000 to form the pre-apprenticeship program in the hopes of providing employment opportunities for unemployed residents.  The measure was passed unanimously by the IDA board on December 19.

“By creating this program we are providing a career ladder for young people looking for jobs in the construction industry,’’ said Mayor Mike Spano, chairman of the Yonkers IDA. “Not only are we helping to employ Yonkers residents, but we are working with labor to create a trained workforce for the future.’’

Members of the Buildings Trades Council said that the program would be of great benefit.

“This pre-apprenticeship program will provide Yonkers residents a direct pathway to lifelong careers in the unionized construction industry,” said Edward Doyle, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Westchester and Putnam Counties. “I look forward to working with the city of Yonkers to ensure that the current construction boom creates the good union jobs and middle-class careers opportunities that local residents deserve. That is why I’m proud to support this pre-apprenticeship program.”

To be eligible for the program, applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalency diploma, be drug-free, able to lift at least 50 lbs. and commit to attending all 25 days of classes. 

Once participants finish the training, they will receive a certificate of completion from Pathways Apprenticeship, a direct entry program approved and registered with the New York Department of Labor, and will be eligible to work on union construction projects. Interviews with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Westchester and Putnam Counties, NY AFL-CIO will be arranged.

Established in 1982, the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency is a public benefit corporation that provides business development incentives to enhance economic development and job growth in the city.