Atlanta Partnership Development Update: YouthBuild and Apprenticeship Sponsors in Construction

Atlanta Partnership Development Update:
YouthBuild and Apprenticeship Sponsors in Construction

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is increasing labor market demand for construction in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. This trend is expected to continue through 2024.ⁱ This increasing demand comes at a time when the national YouthBuild program is positioning itself in local labor markets. YouthBuild graduates are a talent pool for high-demand sectors, including construction, and Registered Apprenticeship (RA) is an important part of this equation since it provides entering apprentices with a clear career pathway and process through which they can advance. Apprenticeship involves a combination of structured classroom training and learning on the job, which ensures that apprentices obtain marketable, industry-recognized skills as they progress.ⁱⁱ Growth in demand within the construction labor market, coupled with access to RA, presents a viable career opportunity for many YouthBuild graduates.

Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Department of Labor (DOL)-Only Final Rule, Section 688.120 recognizes DOL-funded YouthBuild programs as pre-apprenticeship programs. Section 681.480 of the Final Rule names partnerships that assist in placing individuals into RA as one of the elements for a recognized pre-apprenticeship program.

The problem is that few YouthBuild grantees have relationships with apprenticeship sponsors—employers, business associations, and labor-management organizations—that typically offer RA training. Among YouthBuild grantees that have these relationships, many have devoted years to cultivating the connections that lead to placement.

This pilot project is focused on accelerating this process through a partnership with the Georgia State
Office of Apprenticeship and answering the following questions:

• 
  How can YouthBuild grantees best utilize the state offices of apprenticeship to create pathways into RA?
  
• 
  What program capacities are necessary to form partnerships with RA sponsors?
  
• 
  In what ways can RA pathways be used to strengthen other aspects of YouthBuild program delivery?
  

This project has been prepared by YouthBuild USA under contract to the United States Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA).

Bill Krauss, Director of the Georgia State Office of Apprenticeship, set the stage for the project and took a lead role in bringing apprenticeship sponsors into the project. He also delivered a workshop on RA.

Justin Haight, Program Manager of the Georgia WorkSmart Program of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, played a key role by providing informa­tion on legislative and system requirements and identifying resources to support new partnerships.

Staff from Atlanta-based YouthBuild grantees CHRIS 180; Future Seekers, Inc.; WorkSource Atlanta; and the Urban League of Greater Atlanta are working to implement new working relationships with apprenticeship sponsors with a focus on aligning curricula with the needs of sponsors.

Charles Walker, YouthBuild Director at the Urban League of Greater Atlanta, provided local leadership for the Atlanta YouthBuild Collaborative effort.

Randy Beall, member of the North Georgia Building and Construction Trades Council, provided key support and granted permission for YouthBuild grantees to participate in the Building Trades Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3).

The Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Training and Education Fund developed criteria for YouthBuild graduates entering into LIUNA Training and Education apprenticeship programs, which served as a template for the YouthBuild training standards.

Helen Whitcher and Daryl Wright from YouthBuild USA served as conveners and facilitators with the support of ETA.

To date, the partnership development process includes educating YouthBuild grantees and other stakeholders in developing an overall approach for sponsor engagement and training. Organizing a table of construction industry advisors will be a critical next step.

DOL convenes YouthBuild grantees located in different parts of the country each year through regional peer-to-peer events. Grantees share best practices and discuss new DOL YouthBuild initiatives, including emerging opportunities that will improve program delivery.

In May 2016, the ETA Region 3 Peer-to-Peer Training was held in Atlanta. Federal Project Officers from Region 3 requested an update on RA. This included a workshop based on the Pathways to Apprenticeship Toolkit, developed by YouthBuild USA under contract with DOL, and a presentation by the Georgia State Office of Apprenticeship. Director Bill Krauss brought two apprenticeship sponsors to the event. One was an employer; the other represented a labor management organization. Both explained the reality of labor shortages in the construction industry in the Southeast. YouthBuild USA staff highlighted best practices from programs that created apprenticeship pathways in other parts of the country and engaged YouthBuild grantees in thinking about their own local connections with RA.

The goal of these activities was to orient the YouthBuild field towards RA as a placement option and to increase knowledge about program strategies of quality pre-apprenticeship. Although most YouthBuild grantees implement most pre-apprenticeship program strategies, there were still knowledge gaps about the RA system and the nature of the opportunities available to qualified YouthBuild graduates. To set a foundation of knowledge, the presenters provided basic information about RA and its common elements, and met with sponsors who articulated their needs and the importance of the YouthBuild talent pool to meet these needs. Explaining how other grantees were connecting to this system set the stage for action.

Bill Krauss suggested a pilot project that would bring YouthBuild grantees and sponsors together to develop partnerships. It was agreed that the starting point would be Atlanta. There were four YouthBuild grantees and a number of apprenticeship sponsors located there, creating a broad enough pool for a pilot.
During a gathering in December 2016, YouthBuild USA and the Georgia State Office of Apprenticeship conducted another workshop where grantees assessed their own program practices in relation to the five pre-apprenticeship program strategies outlined in the WIOA DOL-Only Final Rule, Section 681.480:

• 
  Approved training and curriculum that aligns with the needs of employers
  

• 
  Access to appropriate supportive services
  
• 
  Meaningful hands-on learning activities that are connected to education and training activities
  
• 
  Opportunities to attain at least one industry-recognized credential
  
• 
  A partnership that assists with placing individuals into RA
  

In general, grantees discovered they were implementing every strategy except developing partnerships to assist placing individuals into RA. Most programs were thoughtful in training participants in curricula that would support the needs of employers and lead to industry-recognized credentials that matter to employers and the YouthBuild model requires supportive services and hands-on learning experiences.

The meeting with apprenticeship sponsors highlighted some critical issues. To be taken seriously, each grantee would have to establish a standard of high quality for graduates recommended for RA. If they did not have this approach in common, they would likely be regarded as being an unreliable talent source. This pushed a second issue: they needed to work together. They would be stronger working together than they would be working apart. Collectively, they represented a larger talent pool and, if they worked together, they could ensure a shared standard of high quality. The source of their strength would be in representing the YouthBuild model. The strategic decisions to work collaboratively to engage apprenticeship sponsors and develop a common set of training standards embodied a common approach.

Following the meeting with apprenticeship sponsors, YouthBuild USA staff conducted individual meetings with the leadership at each YouthBuild grantee organization to discuss a collaborative strategy and what it would mean for YouthBuild program delivery. The construction labor market in Atlanta called for engaging a range of apprenticeship sponsors, so the group decided to engage apprenticeship sponsors collaboratively as well as approach the full range of apprenticeship sponsors, including employers, business associations, and labor management organizations.

In April, grantees met to develop an internal structure for the Atlanta YouthBuild Collaborative. Charles Walker was elected President of the Collaborative. YouthBuild USA introduced a draft set of training standards developed previously with the LIUNA Training and Education Center. These standards listed specific behaviors, knowledge, skills, and aptitudes that qualified YouthBuild graduates to enter RA training programs sponsored by LIUNA Training and Education Centers around the country. This draft set of standards served as a good starting point for a training standard since it was developed in consultation with a key player in the construction industry. YouthBuild USA also introduced staff from the Los Angeles YouthBuild Construction Academy, who described their model of collaboration across multiple YouthBuild sponsoring organizations.

Monthly meetings paused in June and July 2017 as ETA regional peer-to-peer gatherings took place across the country. YouthBuild USA staff and staff representing the Atlanta YouthBuild Collaborative presented project updates at several regional events. Work resumed in August 2017 with a careful review of the training standards and feedback on the feasibility of meeting the standards. The construction coordinator from the Los Angeles YouthBuild Construction Academy, Ben Garcia, was hired as a specialty coach to do an initial assessment of each Atlanta YouthBuild Collaborative grantee’s construction and work-readiness training.

Next Steps: Organizing a Table of Industry Advisors, November 2017 going forward

Now that a common approach has been established, the Atlanta YouthBuild Collaborative will focus on convening apprenticeship sponsors and other players in the Atlanta construction industry in November 2017 to get feedback on training standards and to initiate documented partnerships. The Atlanta YouthBuild Collaborative plans to establish a construction industry advisory group to provide continuous feedback on training and curricula, vet YouthBuild graduates interested in RA, and assist with placing graduates into the industry. To this end, the Atlanta YouthBuild Collaborative is organizing on-site tours during which sponsors can see hands-on training firsthand and provide real-time feedback. The Collaborative is also conducting one-on-one meetings to provide updates to sponsors and other industry stakeholders. YouthBuild USA is providing assistance by arranging these meetings as needed. The Georgia State Office of Apprenticeship will play an important role in bringing apprenticeship sponsors back to the table to provide feedback on training standards.

All the participating YouthBuild programs have embraced common criteria (or training standards) for YouthBuild graduates recommended for RA. There is a memorandum of understanding between the North Georgia Building and Construction Trades Council and the Atlanta YouthBuild Collaborative. A written implementation plan incorporating the Building Trades Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3), which will clearly outline roles and responsibilities as the MC3 is delivered to YouthBuild participants at each YouthBuild location, is expected by the end of the year.

The feedback session in November is anticipated to establish greater curricula alignment with the needs of employers. It is anticipated that increased alignment of curricula will increase the confidence of sponsors and other industry players, which in turn will lead to more documented partnership agreements to assist with placement in RA.

Lessons Learned

A great deal has already been accomplished—there is greater consistency across YouthBuild programs, partnerships that will lead to placement in RA are underway, and alignment of curricula with employer needs is in process. In this regard, the connection between RA sponsors and YouthBuild grantees has been accelerated.

This project began by asking the following questions:

• 
  How can YouthBuild programs best utilize the state offices of apprenticeship to create pathways into RA?
  
• 
  What program capacities are necessary to form partnerships with RA sponsors?
  
• 
  In what ways can RA pathways be used to strengthen other aspects of YouthBuild program delivery?
  

The Georgia State Office of Apprenticeship played two key roles in accelerating connections between RA sponsors and YouthBuild grantees. First, they educated YouthBuild grantees about the RA system. Second, they brought apprenticeship sponsors to the table. Bill Krauss and his office leveraged their relationships with sponsors to educate YouthBuild about the demand for a trained workforce and the need for apprentices to meet this demand. They continued this effort by inviting sponsors to meet with the Atlanta YouthBuild grantees, who were able to gather information that led to some important strategic decisions for deeper, more coordinated engagement.

Partnership development requires time to cultivate relationships and the ability to either convene or meet with apprenticeship sponsors. In this case, YouthBuild programs took the time to connect with each other around the goals of developing a common collaborative approach and training standards. YouthBuild USA played a role in extending the capacity of programs to partner with apprenticeship sponsors and each other. YouthBuild USA helped organize agendas, coached program staff on communicating their message to apprenticeship sponsors, and brought criteria from its national relationship with LIUNA to help develop training standards. The organization also worked closely with staff from the Georgia State Office of Apprenticeship to move the process along. In this case, it is less about the capacities of individual grantees than it is about leveraging the scale and collective interests that, taken together, strengthen the YouthBuild model. Individual program capacities include the time, energy, and orientation to participate in meetings and create a structure for collaboration. The Urban League of Greater Atlanta, for example, brought its relationship with the North Georgia Building and Construction Trades Council to this effort. This relationship also served to accelerate the overall partnership development process.

Early results suggest that construction training will be much more aligned with the needs of employers. The assessments of construction and work readiness training and feedback from employers are areas of program weakness. The requirements of sponsors will provide important criteria for programs to build into stronger training. The industry advisory group will provide a feedback loop for continuous improvement if sponsors and other industry players decide to invest in this process.