When Derrion Mack graduated high school in 2020, she wasnāt sure what her future would hold.
She tried college for a short time, but it wasnāt the right fit. From there, she worked several different jobs, including in fast food. But there was a part of her that longed for something more.
As Mack scrolled Instagram one night she saw an ad for the Build Yourself program, a free construction training class that was being offered at Avondale Meadows YMCA on the east side.
Sheād already been thinking about getting into the field, so she signed up on the spot.
āI don’t like to depend on men in any way,ā Mack, 24, said. āI would love to know how to do something myself instead of having to depend on anybody.ā
The Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation started the BY program in 2018, offering free construction training at community centers across Indianapolis. The training program was recently designated as a certified pre-apprenticeship by the stateās Department of Workforce Development. That means, in part, that the program provides a required connection to at least one apprenticeship opportunity ā in this case, with the Central Midwest Carpenters union.
āThey’re prioritizing our graduates, and so that gives our grads a leg up,ā said Chris Price, president of the Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation.
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Pre-apprenticeships prepare people for competitive and rigorous apprenticeship programs, which are often a path to a better-paying, more stable career in the trades. Union apprenticeships in Indiana are generally tuition-free, and students earn an Ivy Tech associate degree as part of their studies.
āThe connection that we can have to registered apprenticeship programs is valuable because those are good-paying jobs that can support a family,ā Price said. āThat opens up opportunities for our graduates.ā
A better future
For Jeremiah Highbaugh, the BY classes represent a path to a more stable career.
Highbaugh, 26, works as an installation manager, overseeing moving crews putting in equipment and hanging things such as TVs and art. But that job requires a lot of travel, and his wife is pregnant, so heās looking for something that will let him be home more.
Construction fit the bill. Highbaugh recently completed the BY Program at Hawthorne Community Center on the westside. Now, heās debating between carpentry and HVAC ā something thatāll let him work with his hands and be around like-minded people, like the ones he met in his class.
āWe’re all just trying to better ourselves,ā Highbaugh said, āversus just being stagnant or being complacent with the positions that we’re in.ā
The class is a blend of classroom instruction and hands-on construction experience. By the end of the class, graduates earn two different credentials ā one in construction skills and one in safety. The program also hosts job fairs so graduates can meet employers.
Thatās especially important, as not all students in the BY program will go on to complete an apprenticeship.
A recent study of young people in pre-apprentice programs found that even though a small number of students actually pursue apprenticeship, students still get jobs or go back to school after completing the class. Some also may decide that trade isnāt for them, which is better to realize early on than after several years in a rigorous apprenticeship program.
Price wants the BY graduates to have a wide range of options ā from apprenticeship, which he called the āgold standard,ā to other stable, well-paying jobs in construction.
āWe’re really just trying to serve students wherever they are,ā Price said, āand then just help facilitate those relationships with the employers so that they’re able to gain that employment where they want to fit in.ā
Those relationships can help students discover opportunities. When Mack first got into the construction class, she figured sheād get her start in the industry as a general laborer, which is one of the lower level construction jobs.
But program staff helped connect her with a nonunion apprenticeship through a local HVAC and plumbing company. For Mack, that presented more opportunities for growth.
āWhy not just do that? Itās a good job,ā Mack said. āThe more that I move up, the better that it is for me.ā
Upcoming classes
If youāre interested in getting construction training, there are two classes coming up.
The five-week class at John Boner Neighborhood Centers starts Aug. 31 and will be 5-9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.
The nine-week class at Hawthorne Community Center starts Sept. 14 and will be 5-9 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays.
Apply and get more information online.Ā
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Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire by email claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org, at 317-759-0249 or on most social media @clairerafford.
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