Bronx Community College (BCC) announced a new collaboration on July 8 with Building Skills New York (BSNY), an organization which helps New Yorkers in underserved communities find construction jobs. BCC and BSNY will work together to provide skills development and pathways to professional advancement for workers in the construction industry.

The goal of the Construction Career Accelerator (CCA) program, made possible by a grant from the New York State Department of Labor, is twofold: to help BSNY participants who are already placed on construction job sites across the five boroughs to gain the necessary skills to advance their careers, and secondly, to meet the industry’s need for experienced workers in the face of a mounting labor shortage that threatens to slow the city’s much-needed economic recovery effort.

David Meade is BSNY’s executive director and said the organization was excited to launch what he called a unique skills training program with Bronx Community College, and which he said will provide best-in-class instruction to help take BSNY participants to the next level in their respective careers.

“The CCA advances our mission to help traditionally underserved New Yorkers gain access to economic mobility and professional development while also contributing to the revitalization of their own neighborhoods,” Meade said. “We look forward to replicating this program to elevate workers and bolster the construction industry at a critical time in the city’s history.”

Meanwhile, BCC president, Thomas A. Isekenegbe said the college has a long history of providing skills training to the New York City workforce, which benefits both the workers and the industries in which they work. “We are greatly pleased with this opportunity to collaborate with Building Skills New York and bring fresh talent to the construction companies that help develop our city,” he said.

Scholarships to participate in the CCA program were awarded to BSNY workers who have already proven themselves in their chosen field, and who expressed an interest in pursuing advanced electrical, plumbing and carpentry training.

Each class will participate in up to 200 hours of technical skills training provided by BCC. The college offers the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) curriculum, a nationally recognized certification system for skilled construction trades. Representatives from the college said the program is a well-respected credentialing process, follows a series of training courses that facilitate progressive skill acquisition. This summer’s classes include NCCER core, NCCER electrical, NCCER carpentry and NCCER plumbing courses.

Due to ongoing COVID-19 safety precautions related to the coronavirus pandemic, classes, this summer, will combine both remote and in-person instruction. BSNY and BCC staff will provide case management throughout the training and BSNY will work with each trainee after they graduate on next steps for advancing at their existing job or in a new position.

BSNY officials said they gained support for the program from several council members representing the Bronx, who, BSNY representatives said, value the job growth and infrastructure opportunity it brings to the neighborhood. District 11 Council Member Eric Dinowitz said that while New Yorkers had received direct assistance like cash relief and food during the pandemic, jobs could not be as easily provided and that focus on employment should not be forgotten.

“Not only do we need available jobs, but New Yorkers need the training and skills to take on these roles,” he said. “We are grateful for the partnership between Bronx Community College and Building Skills New York to provide this opportunity for Bronxites.” Dinowitz said the initiative was coming at a time when the City is starting to leave the pandemic behind and is looking forward to a robust recovery. “It has been a traumatic year for many New Yorkers, but we are taking the necessary steps for a great comeback,” he said.

Meanwhile, District 15 Council Member Oswald Feliz said Building Skills was helping individuals in all five boroughs establish successful, good-paying careers in what he called New York’s growing construction industry.

“I’m thrilled this program is providing my constituents with access to high-quality education courses that will allow them to build their resumes and increase their opportunities to enter and grow in this sector, while contributing to the growth of their own neighborhoods,” he said. “As our post-pandemic economic recovery continues, it’s critical that we provide individuals with the skills they need to succeed in the long term and that they can carry with them from one job site to the next.”

District 14 Council Member Fernando Cabrera said he was also incredibly happy to see the new partnership in action. “This new partnership will help people from low-income communities get the experience and education needed for upward mobility,” he said. “I encourage residents of the Bronx to apply, and I am excited to see where this collaboration leads.”

Presumed Bronx borough president elect and District 16 City Council Member, Vanessa Gibson, said the partnership will provide invaluable skills to Bronx residents in need of critical skills to become competitive in today’s job market. “The construction industry provides our community with the tools to become successful and this partnership will help eliminate barriers that have prevented historically underserved and underemployed communities from accessing these opportunities.”

The program was also commended by City Council Members Rafael Salamanca and Diana Ayala. Meanwhile, BSNY officials said the organization was looking forward to expanding the CCA program in the fall with some additional partners. The collaboration with BCC comes at a critical time for the construction industry, which is seeing a rapid recovery, having been hit hard during the pandemic-induced economic downturn.

A labor shortage that existed prior to the COVID-19 crisis has been exacerbated over the past year, with construction industry experts predicting that companies will need to hire 430,000 more workers than they employed in 2020. An analysis by Associated Builders and Contractors has revealed that every $1 billion in extra construction spending generates an average of at least 5,700 jobs.

As reported, the country’s largest “Passive House” high-rise is set to debut at 425 Grand Concourse, in Mott Haven. The project is 75 percent complete and is expected to be in use by spring 2022. Meanwhile, the transformation of the South Bronx is making further headway following the recent groundbreaking in May of the new museum that will memorialize the history of hip-hop in the borough, part of a $349 million development known as Bronx Point.

While the availability of construction jobs is clearly good news for the borough, there are some ongoing concerns over health and safety related matters too. As reported, following a number of construction-related accidents on building sites across the City which are being investigated by New York City Department of Buildings (DOB), in May, Norwood News spoke to Anthony Williamson, the Bronx representative of Local 79, Construction and General Building Laborers, about the dangers faced by such workers in the industry.

Referring to construction in the South Bronx waterfront vicinity in particular, Williamson said at the time, “What’s happening here, there’s a mix/combination of skilled and unskilled, trained and untrained workers, and because of the untrained workers, working in this environment, that’s created these things that have happened.”

Despite the clear dangers associated with construction work, Williamson said that among those construction workers were some who do not have health insurance, and are on a minimum wage. He added, “We’re asking the elected officials to take a grip of themselves because this is unacceptable. Here you have a $1 billion water construction, using unskilled workers.”

In the context of the general discussion about construction in the waterfront area of the South Bronx, Williamson mentioned the company, Brookfield Properties, as one example of an entity that, in his opinion, is allegedly cutting corners. Norwood News attempted to connect with Brookfield Properties at the time for comment but did not manage to reach anyone.

In the meantime, officials from Brookfield Properties contacted Norwood News on June 22 to say they had no record of being contacted for comment in May. They have also refuted the allegations put forth by Williamson. During the course of our conversation, the company said it had no untrained workers working on their projects, that no worker was on minimum wage and that all have undergone OSHA training.

At the end of June, we reported that a Soundview-based construction company, Everest Scaffolding Inc., had been fined $300,370 following an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor into a Nov. 13, 2020 construction incident which resulted in the death of a 21-year-old laborer. The agency determined that the Bronx-based company failed to ensure the laborer’s fall arrest harness was attached, as required. The company is appealing the decision.

Meanwhile, as also reported, the DOB recently issued a safety report that officials said provides deep insights on construction safety trends in New York City. Based on data compiled during 2019 and 2020, the report examines various DOB “proactive and data-driven initiatives” which officials said have led to declines in construction-related incidents and injuries. The DOB also recently carried out a sweep of inspections across various City building sites, pledging zero tolerance for violations.

Meanwhile, Meade said Building Skills New York knows that New York is going to have to build its way out of the recent economic downturn, and that the construction industry has many opportunities to offer the thousands who remain unemployed as result of that crisis. “Together, BSNY and its partners like BCC are working to assure individuals in some of [our] most vulnerable communities are able to benefit from all the construction industry has to offer by learning critical skills that will help propel them along the path to success,” he said.