Building Futures

TO MEET EMPLOYER AND INDUSTRY NEEDS FOR SKILLED WORKERS THROUGH REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS.

BUILDING FUTURES -BUILDING FUTURES OPERATES A COMPREHENSIVE PRE-APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING PROGRAM TO HELP MEN AND WOMEN PREPARE FOR EMPLOYMENT IN ONE OF A DOZEN BUILDING TRADE APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS INCLUDING ELECTRICIANS, CARPENTERS, PLUMBERS, IRON WORKERS, PAINTERS, AND LABORERS. BUILDING FUTURES' 200-HOUR HANDS-ON PRE-APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING FOCUSES ON BASIC COMPETENCIES NEEDED ACROSS ALL CONSTRUCTION TRADES. THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF THE PROGRAM ARE RECRUITMENT, ORIENTATION, APPLICATION, ASSESSMENTS, CONSTRUCTION TRAINING, CONSTRUCTION MATH, PERSONAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, CAREER GUIDANCE, PLACEMENT, AND EMPLOYMENT TRANSITION AND SUPPORT SERVICES. IN COLLABORATION WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS, BUILDING FUTURES ALSO OFFERS AN ELECTIVE PROGRAM IN HOME BUILDING THAT PROVIDES AN EXTENDED HANDS-ON TRAINING OPPORTUNITY BUILDING MODEL ENERGY-EFFICIENT AFFORDABLE HOMES FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES IN LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS. FURTHER, THE ORGANIZATION OPERATES A 3-WEEK ELECTIVE IN INDUSTRIAL WELDING FOR GRADUATES OF THE 200-HOUR PRE-APPRENTICESHIP; THIS IS A CERTIFICATION COURSE TAUGHT BY A NATIONALLY CERTIFIED WELDING INSTRUCTOR. TOGETHER THESE TRAININGS ARE DESIGNED TO PREPARE GRADUATES FOR ENTRY AND SUCCESS IN REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS IN CONSTRUCTION. ALL SERVICES ARE AT NO COST TO TRAINEES.IN FISCAL 2022, WITH THE DECLINING IMPACTS OF COVID, BUILDING FUTURES WAS ABLE TO RESUME FULL ENROLLMENT IN ITS TRAINING PROGRAMS, WITH AN ANNUAL MINIMUM TARGET OF 30-35. WHILE ENROLLED FULL-TIME, PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE A TRAINING ALLOWANCE TO ENSURE RETENTION AND SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE PROGRAM. GRADUATES EARN MULTIPLE INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED CERTIFICATIONS THAT HELP ENSURE ENTRY IN THEIR CHOSEN TRADE. ALL GRADUATES ARE GUIDED IN CHOOSING THE BUILDING TRADE OCCUPATION THAT BEST FITS THEIR INTERESTS AND ABILITIES. GRADUATES ARE ASSISTED IN PREPARING FOR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM ENTRANCE EXAMS AND INTERVIEWS, AND RECEIVE SUPPORT SERVICES AND GUIDANCE THROUGHOUT THEIR FIRST YEAR OF APPRENTICESHIP AND BEYOND. TO DATE, BUILDING FUTURES COMPLETED 376 JOB PLACEMENTS, INCLUDING 361 IN CONSTRUCTION REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS. 42% HAVE COMPLETED THEIR APPRENTICESHIPS AND ARE NOW JOURNEY WORKERS IN THEIR SELECTED TRADE. THUS FAR, OUR GRADUATES ARE MAINTAINING A 76% RETENTION RATE IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY. WITH EMPLOYER AND TRADE APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM PARTNERS, BUILDING FUTURES HAS CONTINUED TO REFINE AND EXPAND ITS PRE-APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM, AND HAS BEEN NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR ITS BEST PRACTICES BY MANY, INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.IN ONGOING EFFORTS TO INCREASE THE DIVERSITY AND NUMBER OF QUALIFIED CANDIDATES FOR CONSTRUCTION APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS, THE ORGANIZATION HAS INCREASED ITS FOCUS ON RECRUITMENT, TRAINING, PLACEMENT AND RETENTION OF WOMEN IN THE TRADES, BOTH BY ESTABLISHING AN ALUMNI LEADERSHIP WORKING GROUP TO ASSIST WITH OUTREACH AND RECRUITMENT, AND VIA A MENTORSHIP PROGRAM FOR WOMEN TRAINEES AND GRADUATES. THUS FAR, 10% OF OUR GRADUATES HAVE BEEN WOMEN; THIS IS WELL ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION. 76% OF OUR PLACED GRADUATES HAVE BEEN BIPOC, 48% JUSTICE INVOLVED, AND 36% FORMERLY INCARCERATED.

AMERICAN APPRENTICESHIP INITIATIVE -APPRENTICESHIP RHODE ISLAND ("ARI"), BUILDING FUTURES' INITIATIVE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE RI DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND TRAINING, IS AN EFFORT TO EXPAND THE USE OF REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP IN HIGH GROWTH NON-CONSTRUCTION OCCUPATIONS AND INDUSTRIES. BUILDING FUTURES SERVES AS THE STATE'S APPRENTICESHIP INTERMEDIARY, PROVIDING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND RESOURCES TO EMPLOYERS TO BOTH DESIGN, LAUNCH AND OPERATE REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS FOR OCCUPATIONS IN HEALTH CARE, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, ADVANCED MANUFACTURING, MARINE TRADES, LANDSCAPE HORTICULTURE, AND OTHERS.TO DATE, APPRENTICESHIP RHODE ISLAND HAS WORKED WITH 130 EMPLOYERS AND 11 MULTI-EMPLOYER SPONSORS. CUMULATIVELY THESE PROGRAMS HAVE EMPLOYED AND TRAINED 2,000 APPRENTICES. NEW REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP DEVELOPMENT IS UNDERWAY IN THESE AREAS: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS, TEACHER ASSISTANTS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND LICENSED SCHOOL TEACHERS. BUILDING FUTURES IS ALSO EXPANDING ITS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT RA SPONSORS IN DEVELOPING RIGOROUS EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STANDARDS IN RA THAT INCLUDE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION ("DEI") GOALS AND MENTORSHIP TRAININGS THAT SUPPORT THE SUCCESS OF RA.THESE ACTIVITIES REFLECT A NATURAL EXPANSION OF BUILDING FUTURES' WORK TO BETTER ACHIEVE ITS MISSION WHILE REPLICATING ITS EFFECTIVE WORK IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY. ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDE ASSISTING COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO DESIGN, LAUNCH AND OPERATE NEW PRE-APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS SIMILAR TO THE BUILDING FUTURES MODEL FOR CONSTRUCTION. THROUGH THESE EFFORTS, BUILDING FUTURES HELPS PREPARE LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS FOR PLACEMENT IN THESE NON-TRADITIONAL REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS SPONSORED BY ARI AND ITS EMPLOYER PARTNERS. FINALLY, THE APPRENTICESHIP RHODE ISLAND INITIATIVE PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT INTERMEDIARY ROLE RELATED TO EXPANDING AND IMPROVING THE CAPACITY OF THE STATE'S APPRENTICESHIP AGENCY. WITH A FOCUS ON SERVING UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS, BUILDING FUTURES SEEKS TO ALIGN MULTIPLE SYSTEMS TO EFFECTIVELY CONNECT PEOPLE TO REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP. INTEGRATION EFFORTS IMPACT AND INCLUDE K THROUGH 12 AND POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION, THE PUBLIC WORKFORCE SYSTEM AND, IMPORTANTLY, COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO ALIGN SERVICES AND ESTABLISH NEW QUALITY PRE-APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS. IN 2020, THIS INITIATIVE WAS RECOGNIZED BY THE NATIONAL GOVERNOR'S ASSOCIATION AS ONE OF THE TOP 10 MOST EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTRY.