Woodlawn Cemetery & Conservancy is calling all young people aged 18 to 24 who are looking for a meaningful career in construction, historical preservation, and skilled trades and who would love to work with their hands to apply by
Jan. 28, to be paid interns and receive specialized hands-on training in masonry and restoration.

 

Each spring, the Woodlawn Bridges to Crafts Careers Preservation Training Program selects 20 interns to receive specialized hands-on training in masonry and restoration under the guidance of a resident craftsman. The program includes a 10-week, paid, career training and job placement workforce development program which focuses exclusively on the restoration and preservation of stone typically found in historic cemeteries.

 

Additionally, program graduates will earn an OSHA-30 safety certification, suspended and support scaffolding certifications, Jahn Mortar certification, and support with applying to entry-level positions in the industry. The program is run in partnership with The Door – Bronx Youth Center, The Woodlawn Cemetery & Conservancy, the International World Monuments Fund, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (Local #1 New York) and is supported by NYC DYCD Advance & Earn.

 

To be eligible to apply, applicants:

• must be a New Yorker aged 18 to 24 in February 2022;
• must be a resident of the five boroughs of New York City;
• must have a High School Diploma or GED/Equivalency Diploma and be authorized to work in the United States.

The application deadline is Friday, Jan. 28, at 12:00 pm., and the program begins Feb. 7 through May 2022. To learn more about the program and view the application, visit www.WoodlawnPreservation.org.

 

In 2015, the Woodlawn Conservancy, in partnership with the International Masonry Institute of the Bricklayers and Allied Craftsworkers Local 1 Union, established the preservation training program, an initiative sponsored by World Monuments Fund, called the Bridge to Crafts Careers. The goal of the program is to introduce young people to opportunities in the field of masonry preservation and to provide the support they need to sustain jobs and improve their skills enabling them to restore the buildings of New York City. So far, 125 young adults participated in the program.

 

This unique program is immersive training that also provides specialized life skills as well as OSHA certifications. The social services component is contributed by The Door, a youth development agency with wrap-around services, who is involved in the recruitment and weekly training, along with helping the interns with interview techniques, resume writing and communication skills with their employers. Graduates are making a positive economic impact by acquiring a sustainable career. The monuments and mausoleum at Woodlawn are the training lab where they learn their skills under the close supervision of a retired masonry resident craftsman.

 

Established in 1863 and spanning 400 acres, The Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York, is one of the nation’s most
distinguished historic cemeteries. Non-sectarian since its inception, Woodlawn was designated a national historic landmark in 2011 for its singular importance in the history of the nation and New York City. Woodlawn is also an active cemetery with ongoing burials and funeral services, and more than 310,000 individuals are memorialized on its grounds. According to Woodlawn representatives, it is one of the nation’s finest examples of a 19th-century garden cemetery, and its monuments represent some of the best memorial art and architecture in the nation, including nearly 1,300 private mausoleums designed by some of the most prominent architects of the 20th century.

 

With a wide variety of burial, cremation and pre-planning options, families look to Woodlawn to provide answer to questions regarding final arrangements. The Woodlawn Cemetery is open to the public free of charge 365 days a year, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is the last stop on the #4 train. The cemetery is also accessible from the Metro North Railroad Harlem Line (Woodlawn Station). For those traveling by car, Woodlawn can be reached from the E. 233rd St. exit off the Major Deegan (#13) and the Bronx River Parkway (#10). For more information, please visit www.Woodlawn.org