OH-KY ADC Connecting More People with Good-Paying Union Jobs
For many, a BAC apprenticeship is a ticket to the middle class. Take James Kerner. Before becoming an apprentice with BAC’s Ohio-Kentucky Administrative District Council (ADC), he was struggling to make a decent living. While he picked up construction work here and there, it wasn’t consistent. And he certainly wasn’t getting the money or benefits he needed to support himself.
Enter BAC’s OH-KY ADC Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) for the Northern Ohio Regional Training Center. Like other BAC apprenticeship programs across the country, the JATC wants to connect more people with a golden ticket to a middle-class career.
That’s why after closely reviewing its apprenticeship application requirements, the JATC decided to eliminate those that might prevent talented, hardworking people from applying—people who are enthusiastic about the trades, but just need to catch a break.
Kerner is one of many apprentices who will benefit from the program’s updated and straightforward application process. The new application is a simple form—and it doesn’t require would-be apprentices to have a high school diploma, GED, driver’s license, car or that they take a proficiency test to be considered. In short, the new application favors ability and interest, and removes barriers related to opportunity and access unavailable to many qualified individuals.
So, while Kerner doesn’t have a high school diploma, he does have a passion for the trades and an aptitude for restoration work. “I love the satisfaction of building something, taking something old and dilapidated, and making it new again. I’ve always taken pride in my work and I love at the end of the day, being able to point at a project and say, ‘I helped do that.’”
Kerner, who received a follow up immediately after applying for the program, was thrilled with the opportunity to follow his passion. “Within three days, I was going to work for Mid State Restoration,” a BAC signatory contractor, he says.
Ken Kudela, Director for the OH-KY ADC and the JATC co-chair, says Kerner’s experience reflects that of other hopeful apprentices. “If you come in and tell us you want to join, we’re going to do everything we can to get you working with a contractor and get you into the program.”
Kudela was instrumental in spearheading the charge to simplify the program’s application process, noting that the old application requirements are in no way prerequisites to being a good bricklayer, tile setter or restoration professional. “That’s what we’re here for—to train our apprentices and journeyworkers, and to help them become competent and successful.”
When he first joined the Union, Kudela recalls working with a number of bricklayers who didn’t have a high school education. “They were some of the best mechanics I worked with.”
Likewise, Kudela feels strongly that apprentices don’t need a driver’s license or car to reliably get to work or class on time, given the prevalence of alternatives like public transit and ridesharing. “We’re very conscious of where people are coming from when they travel to the training center and try to group students with peers from the same area and encourage them to carpool.”
Once they start working, apprentices have the financial freedom to start saving for a vehicle and investing in their futures in other ways. For example, through a partnership with Lorain County Community College, apprentices can get their GEDs.
Kerner hopes to pursue that option so he can take college courses someday. “I’d love down the line to start up my own company,” he says. “If you need something to look forward to and want a decent career, as long as you’re willing to put in the work, this is the place to be. There’s no other place you’ll get guaranteed pay raises as you progress in skill, and the work environment is great.”