This morning, the commissioners approved additional funding for their ground-breaking Building Futures pre-apprenticeship and workforce development program. The program is a partnership with the Columbus Urban League and the Central Ohio Building Trades Council to help low-income residents transition into apprenticeships that will lead to well-paid jobs in the skilled construction trades.
Apprenticeship is the traditional process for training and educating a worker as a skilled construction craftsman, and involves both classroom and on-the-job instruction. It’s a necessary first step to a good job in the construction field, and Building Futures will help participants to progress into apprenticeship. Building Futures participants begin with three weeks of “soft skills” training, such as skills assessments, teamwork and interpersonal skills training, and financial literacy curriculum, and are paid $250 per week for their time.
The next six weeks of Building Futures focuses on so-called hard skills, including safety certification, and trade-specific literacy and math instruction. In addition to the skills assessment and training, participants receive mentoring and Comprehensive Case Management services provided by the commissioners’ Job and Family Services department, which administers the program for the county.
Funding for this resolution is made possible via the American Rescue Plan. You can read the full resolution
here and learn more about how the commissioners are using the American Rescue Plan to help our community recover from the pandemic at
Recovery.FranklinCountyOhio.gov.