[Back to List View] As seen in the St. Louis Sentinnel March 21, 2002 PRIDE Of St. Louis, Inc. Examines Study Results To Build Better Construction Work Opportunities For Disadvantaged Job Seekers PRIDE Seeking Ways to Help Underemployed And Unemployed Find And Keep Jobs In The St. Louis Construction Industry Carpenters’ apprentice Clifton Tate was named “Student of the Year” by the St. Louis Area Construction Training Tech Prep Consortium, which helps develop technical education programs for high school students. Tate, 19, earns more than $19 an hour. With the St. Louis area facing a skilled worker shortage in the construction industry, PRIDE of St. Louis, Inc. is exploring ways to fill future job needs by working with the underemployed and unemployed in the inner city. PRIDE, the nation’s first and oldest voluntary construction labor-management group, is examining a study that explores construction employment opportunities for disadvantaged job seekers. “We want to do everything we can to open up opportunities to young people who are unemployed or working under their potential at low paying jobs,” said Ed Abbett, executive director of PRIDE. "Our vision is to help disadvantaged job seekers move up to construction jobs that are essential for building St. Louis.” In its landmark 2000 study, “St. Louis Inner City Competitive Assessment and Strategy Project,” the St. Louis Inner City Competitive Alliance (ICCA) reported the aging local construction workforce would face a shortfall of more than 9,000 workers by 2004. “These are middle class jobs that can be filled by the underemployed and unemployed in the inner city if we find ways to facilitate entry by qualified workers,” said Craig D. Schnuck, co-chair of the St. Louis ICCA and chairman and chief executive officer of Schnuck Markets, Inc. The ICCA study identified construction as one of four job clusters with the greatest career potential for the underemployed and jobless. The others were metal manufacturing, transportation/distribution and commercial services, such as call centers. In the most recent study, funded by PRIDE and conducted by ICCA, focus groups were used to examine real and perceived barriers to construction careers among residents in St. Louis’ urban core. The focus groups targeted African Americans, Hispanics and Bosnian/Croatians. Over a three-month span, ICCA interviewed 65 people, including minority and immigrant job seekers, disadvantaged workers who gained employment in construction and construction industry supervisors. The ICCA found the career obstacles most frequently cited were language barriers, transportation problems, misperceptions about work ethic, lack of understanding about work demands, productivity requirements that left little room for on-the-job training and lack of understanding on how to join a union and gain craft training. “After funding recruitment efforts in the inner city for years, PRIDE is aware of many of these problems and has embarked on initiatives to address them,” said Abbett. The ICCA specifically lauded one PRIDE initiative – the Careers in Construction manual – which details career opportunities for skilled workers and local craft training programs. Top ICCA recommendations to make construction careers more accessible were: Developing transportation strategies, including bi-lingual travel directions, to ensure workers get to job sites on time; Offering English as a Second Language (ESL) classes as part of apprenticeship and journey worker training; Establishing mentor programs to help guide minorities in their careers; Expanding diversity training to boost understanding of cultural differences; Tailoring construction education programs and on-the-job training to facilitate entry into the construction trades; and Offering tours of construction sites to minorities and inner city high school students and counselors to broaden understanding of job demands. Bryant E. Scaife Sr. used his union construction training to start his own company, B.E. Scaife Plumbing Co., and is now helping rebuild his old North St. Louis neighborhood. One of his projects is the Ruskin Town Homes in the 5000 block of Thekla Avenue in North St. Louis. “Many action plans to address these recommendations are already in place,” said Abbett. “Now, with a better understanding of the real and perceived barriers from the perspective of the disadvantaged job seekers, we can evaluate existing recruitment programs and devise more effective ones. Ultimately, we want to go beyond conventional thinking and open career pathways in the inner city to help build St. Louis.” The St. Louis ICCA was formed in September 2000. Its goal is to tie the region’s strength in creating jobs, wealth and income to the city’s pool of available workers, who can be taught job skills for industries facing a shortage of labor. In addition to Schnuck, the organization is co-chaired by Michael Holmes, a principal at Edward Jones. Established in 1972, PRIDE has worked to maintain harmony and build cooperation among the key players in the St. Louis building industry. The organization promotes construction productivity, cost-effective construction, safe and drug-free job sites, and work force training and development.