Community Works’ Final Week of Recruitment is the First Week of April

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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The first week in April will be the final week for applicants to attend information sessions for Community Works, one of the few registered pre-apprenticeship programs in Massachusetts aimed at getting folks from the greater Springfield area into the highway construction industry and building trades. The program and all associated certifications are free to accepted trainees. The program seeks to place graduates in either trades apprenticeships, transportation construction, or on-the-job training leading towards these goals.

Community Works is funded through the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Its schedule of information sessions can be found at www.facebook.com/umasscommunitywork.

Applicants must attend one of the open information sessions:

• Wednesday, March 28 at 5:30 p.m. at FutureWorks, 1 Federal St., in Springfield
• Thursday, March 29 at 10:30 a.m. at CareerPoint, 850 High St., in Holyoke
• Tuesday, April 3 at 2:00 p.m. at FutureWorks, 1 Federal St., in Springfield
• Thursday, April 5 at 10:30 a.m. at CareerPoint, 850 High St., in Holyoke

After acceptance into the program, trainees enter a six-week intensive preparation program to enter building trade union apprenticeships and transportation construction. The goal is for people to obtain a life-long career in the trades where they are treated with respect and compensated fairly for their skills. At the same time, they will help meet the increased need for the transportation and trades workforce at a time when infrastructure is being renewed and the older generation of this workforce retires.

Originally launched as Springfield Works in 2009, Community Works expanded its reach in 2013 to the greater Springfield and Holyoke areas. The training program includes a number of free tools to help people begin their apprenticeships including education in construction math, trips to union training centers, presentations from industry experts on worker’s rights, teamwork, personal budgeting and learning interviewing skills. In addition, there is a hands-on carpentry class. Trainees graduate from the program qualified to work on construction sites with certificates in OSHA 10, 8-hour First Aid, Certified Remodeler, Renovator and Painters lead-safe practices, and Scaffolding. They also receive mentoring and job placement assistance after graduation.