Urban Workforce Development Initiative Celebrates 100th Construction Career Placement

September 5, 2024

Home | News and Insights | Urban Workforce Development Initiative Celebrates 100th Construction Career Placement

Building Value, a social enterprise powered by Easterseals Redwood, and Messer Construction Co. recently celebrated a significant milestone for the Urban Workforce Development Initiative: the 100th placement of an individual from Cincinnati’s urban core in a construction career.

Since its inception in 2016 as an innovative component of the Cincinnati Children’s Critical Care Building project, the Urban Workforce Development Initiative (UWDI) has been focused on creating pathways to stable, well-paying careers in the construction industry for people facing economic and employment challenges. By offering hands-on training, mentorship, and real-world experience, UWDI equips participants with the skills and confidence needed to succeed in the construction industry.

Karl Edwards, UWDI’s 100th graduate, was placed with HVAC piping and sheet metal contractor Peck Hannaford & Briggs this summer. For his first job assignment, he worked on the expansion and renovation of the Easterseals Redwood headquarters on Gilbert Avenue in Walnut Hills, which includes a military and veterans services center and additional space for construction skills training.

“I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve made some really good friends,” Edwards says of his UWDI experience. “It has really helped me understand the workplace overall, as well as the specifics of the trade and how everyone is doing something different, but it all comes together. Building Value helped me appreciate the satisfaction of hard work.”

David Daniels, Workforce Development Manager with Building Value for more than 12 years, adds: “Reaching our 100th placement isn’t just about numbers. It’s about the people and the lives that are changed. The milestone gives us a chance to extend gratitude to Messer and all the organizations that have collaborated with us over the years-as employment partners, clients, or in other supporting roles.” (Keep scrolling for timeline and list of partners.)

UWDI encompasses three key phases:

  • Phase 1 – Paid onsite job training through Building Value’s deconstruction services and salvaged building materials retail store, as well as guided implementation of wraparound supports like financial literacy, social emotional intelligence, goal setting, driver’s education and dependable transportation under market value. This phase is about establishing core soft skills: attendance and punctuality, safety, attitude, and work ethic.
  • Phase 2 – Candidates are paired with contractors on jobsites according to their construction trade interest and skillset.
  • Phase 3 – Graduates are hired into full-time employment with Messer or subcontractors. (Note: Full-time case managers provide weekly support through one year of programming. This includes intervention, mentorships and proactive support to ensure long-term sustainability.

Elijah Allen Elijah Allen

Elijah Allen, one of UWDI’s first graduates in 2017, has been with Archiable Electric for seven years-first as an apprentice, and now a journeyman electrician. He purchased a two-family home a couple of years ago and has fond memories of his start at Building Value. “I knew I had to stay patient for the future–to stay dedicated to my version of success,” he says. “I like seeing my work at the end of the day. When the lights turn on, and the medical equipment working gives me a sense of fulfillment and purpose. It feels like I’m helping save lives.”

UWDI continues to address the skilled labor shortage in the construction industry while providing a pathway out of poverty for residents of Cincinnati’s urban core. Currently, there are 800 open jobs in construction in Cincinnati and 5,700 in Ohio.

“It’s truly humbling to see the impact of UWDI on the individuals served and their families, and to see project owners and community partners come together to support them,” says Messer Workforce Development Manager Stanley Warrenhuffman. “The corporate and non-profit partnership is magical when goals are aligned and when the commitment comes from the top. I look forward to UWDI’s continued growth, particularly the enhancement of wraparound support services.”

UWDI Hiring Partners

  • Archiable Electric
  • Axiom Flooring Enterprises
  • Denier Electric
  • EGC Construction
  • ESI: Electrical Contractors, Inc.
  • Home Depot
  • MBJ Cinfab
  • The Nelson Stark Company
  • O’Rourke Wrecking Company
  • Peck Hannaford & Briggs
  • Perry Painting
  • PCI: Performance Contracting Inc.
  • TJ Dyer
  • Triversity Construction
  • UC Health Facility Maintenance
  • Valley Interior Systems

UWDI Timeline

2016

  • Messer partners with Building Value to launch the Uptown Workforce Development Initiative (UWDI) on the Cincinnati Children’s Critical Care Building. UWDI’s goal is 50 total hires from Avondale and the surrounding communities known as Uptown.

2017

  • UWDI is presented to the Cincinnati City Council Workforce Development Committee and leadership of local union halls to get buy-in on the process.
  • First UWDI hire.

2018

  • For the first time, UWDI candidates are enrolled into local trade unions.

2019

  • Union halls implement the construction worker (CW) category. This helped UWDI candidates join apprenticeship programs year-round.

2021

  • UWDI meets the goal of 50 hires on the Cincinnati Children’s Critical Care Building.
  • UWDI expands from exclusively serving the Uptown community to serving Cincinnati’s entire urban core. The name Uptown Workforce Development Initiative is rebranded to Urban Workforce Development Initiative.
  • UC Health becomes the second owner to commit to leveraging UWDI on its Emergency Department and Surgical Infill (ED/SI) projects. UC Health has a goal of 20 UWDI hires by 2023.
  • Cincinnati Children’s continues its support of UWDI on its new behavioral health facility in College Hill, with a goal of 10 hires by 2023.

2022

  • Easterseals Redwood becomes the third owner to commit to leveraging UWDI on its headquarters renovation and expansion project. Easterseals Redwood’s goal is to have eight hires by 2024.
  • UWDI addresses the transportation barrier for candidates by partnering with Wheels Transportation, which reconditions donated vehicles and provides reliable transportation under market value.

2023

  • UWDI meets the goal of 20 candidates hired on UC Health’s ED/SI projects.
  • UWDI meets the goal of 10 hires at the Cincinnati Children’s College Hill project.
  • Cincinnati Children’s continues its support of UWDI on its Eastgate medical office building project.
  • The Cincinnati Convention Center becomes the fourth owner to commit to leveraging UWDI on its project, with a goal of 15 hires by 2026.
  • UWDI formalizes a partnership with Shropshire and Sons driving school, which provides candidates with up to 10 hours of in-car driver’s education in addition to defensive driving courses. These courses help encourage safety and lower the cost of insurance.
  • UWDI introduces classroom instruction for candidates to receive a credential from the National Center of Construction Education and Research (NCCER) at no cost.

2024

  • UWDI implements a Social Emotional Learning class through Mentoring Partners that teaches candidates how to manage the circumstances of their personal life in a professional environment; set lifelong career goals and vision/mission statements; and build healthy professional relationships.
  • UWDI informally partners with Samaritan Car Care Clinic to help recipients understand basic vehicle maintenance and upkeep while providing maintenance repairs at under-market value with flexible payment options.
  • UWDI celebrates its 100th hire.

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