[Back to List View] As seen in the March 2002 issue of COCKSHAW’s Construction Labor News+Opinion Group Recruits Minorities to Ease Labor Shortages To cope with a skilled worker shortage, PRIDE of St. Louis, the nation’s oldest voluntary labor-management group, is actively focusing on the inner city. PRIDE has teamed up with the Inner City Competitive Alliance (ICCA) to examine real and perceived barriers to construction careers among residents in St. Louis’ urban core. Focus group interviews conducted by ICCA and funded by PRIDE, uncovered the career obstacles most often cited by minorities. Based on these findings, ICCA recommended several key steps to make construction careers more accessible. They include: Developing transportation strategies – including bilingual travel directions – to get workers to job sites on time; Offering English as part of apprenticeship and journeyman training; Establishing mentor programs to help guide minorities in their careers; Offering tours of construction sites to minorities, inner city high school students and counselors to broaden understanding of job demands; Tailoring construction education programs and on-the-job training to facilitate entry into the trades. “Many actions to address these issues are already in place,” PRIDE’s executive director Ed Abbett, explains. “But now with a better understanding of the job barriers, we can devise more effective recruitment programs.”