“Building Pathways Cambridge”
Expanded Program will Advance Career Opportunities for Women and People of Color in Union Construction Industry
CAMBRIDGE, MA – A program that has helped hundreds of women and people of color access family-sustaining careers in the union construction industry is now in Cambridge. Originally launched as a Boston-based initiative, the expansion of the successful “Building Pathways” program was officially announced this week at a speaking program hosted in Cambridge.
Cambridge Mayor Marc McGovern, Cambridge City Councillors E. Denise Simmons, Sumbul Siddiqui, Alanna Mallon, Tim Toomey, and Craig Kelley joined the Building Trade Union Officials and Representatives, Brian Doherty, General Agent, MetroBTC, and Mary Vogel, Executive Director along with several BTC union leaders and contractors of Building Pathways were on hand to launch the program.
Thanks to the support of local building trades unions, Cambridge Mayor Marc McGovern, and a number of Cambridge City Councillors, the program will be opening its first Cambridge office in 2020 and will bring family-sustaining career opportunities to Cambridge residents.
“We’re dedicated to making sure that Cambridge remains a place where people can fully access upward mobility and amplify their voices through unions,” said Mayor Marc McGovern. “Every day I’m so grateful for the support unions have provided this city and the Building Pathways Program is an important tool for helping our best and brightest workers remain in the city.”
“Cambridge is strong because our unions are strong, and our infrastructure is stronger than ever because unions have our backs,” said City Councillor E. Denise Simmons. “I thank the men and women who do these jobs every day because together we are opening pathways to careers and a future that will be tremendous for all of us.”
“As a proud union member, I stand in solidarity with my union brothers and sisters – all of you are truly the backbone of Cambridge,” said City Councillor Sumbul Siddiqui. “Union workers make this city what it is and I want to sincerely thank everyone who has led the push for this vital program to become a reality in Cambridge.”
“It’s truly been an honor to work with my colleagues to bring the Building Pathways program to Cambridge,” said City Councillor Alanna M. Mallon. “This important program will provide a much-needed pathway into the building trades for our kids, and particularly our young women and people of color, to increase equity and build even stronger communities.”
“This city was built on the backs of our union workers and we owe it to them to create new opportunities that will open up additional career pathways for success,” said Councillor Tim Toomey. “Our hardest-working earners deserve nothing less than fair access to high-quality jobs and I will continue to be a strong advocate for their rights at home in Cambridge.”
“In Cambridge, there is a proud history of great standards for our workers, as well as a strong commitment to responsible economic development,” said Brian H. Doherty, Secretary Treasurer and General Agent of the Building and Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District. “Programs like Building Pathways help ensure these high standards remain in place for our workers by providing quality jobs that everyone can access.”
“We want to make sure that the same opportunities we’re providing for our Boston residents to get into these wonderful family-sustaining jobs and careers are provided to the residents of Cambridge,” said Mary Vogel, Executive Director of Building Pathways.
“Before I started the Building Pathways Program, I was at rock bottom,” said Andrea Dunn, a graduate of the Building Pathways Program. “I came across a pamphlet for Building Pathways and decided to go for it. I’ve always had the mentality that if a man can do something, I can do it too. With the help of Building Pathways, I have a career and financial stability, and I feel accomplished knowing I can do whatever I put my mind to.”
“I’m grateful that Building Pathways has opened a door and provided me and so many others with an opportunity to get ahead,” said Michael Whipper, a graduate of the Building Pathways Program. “That’s what the American dream is – to go to work, work hard and have the ability to take care of your family. That’s what Building Pathways has done for me and so much more.”
Building Pathways creates opportunities for low-income area residents, particularly in underserved communities, to access and prepare for building trades apprenticeships and family-sustaining careers in the construction industry.
Through apprenticeship preparedness training, outreach to young adults, and advocacy, Building Pathways addresses the need to recruit top talent into the industry while opening career pathways to women, people of color, individuals with disabilities, and transitioning veterans.
About MetroBTC:
The Building & Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District represents 35,000 working families in the Metropolitan Boston region. The building trades unions advance social and economic justice by providing family-supporting wages, healthcare benefits and dignified retirement benefits to workers and their families in the construction industry.
The Building and Construction Trades Council, an umbrella group of 20 local construction unions, in partnership with more than 3,300 union contractors, provides the highest standards for workers in the construction industry. It is through collective bargaining and the Labor-Management partnership that workers achieve the highest levels of training, safety and economic security throughout their careers.
The Council strives to create a fairer and more just environment for all workers in the construction industry.
About Building Pathways
The Building Pathways Building Trades Pre-Apprenticeship Program was launched in 2011 by the Building and Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District (MetroBTC), to address the continued disparities in apprenticeship for women, people of color, and other under-served communities. In 2015, MetroBTC led the formation of Building Pathways, Inc., a nonprofit organization that now operates the Building Pathways pre-apprenticeship program.
Building Pathways is a critical partner in building the construction industry’s workforce pipeline. Our pre-apprenticeship training program prepares under-represented, disadvantaged or low-skilled Boston metro area residents to enter a union apprenticeship program – an effective “learn and earn” model with a long history of providing career ladders and pathways to the middle class. Through outreach to area high schools and youth groups, Building Pathways also educates middle and high school students about career opportunities in the building trades.