Jake Hummel, President of the Missouri AFL-CIO, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and spoke about the Building Union Diversity Apprenticeship Readiness Program in St. Louis. Hummel explained what the program does and when the ARP will be offered in area high schools.
The Missouri AFL-CIO has a special non-profit branch that serves as a workforce development arm of the organization. This branch is known as the Missouri Works Initiative, and it handles all the workforce development needs for the state labor federation. The program recently featured by North America’s Building Trades Unions President Sean McGarvey during his city highlight tour was the Building Union Diversity (BUD) pre-apprenticeship program in St. Louis. This program started about 10 years ago to help provide a path for members of the St. Louis underserved communities to begin a career in the union building trades.
A six-week ARP, BUD utilizes the Multi-Craft Core Curriculum developed by NABTU. This allows participants to earn certifications and develop soft skills. Hummel explained how the BUD St. Louis program has set itself apart from other Apprenticeship Readiness Programs throughout the country.
Currently, BUD is geared to recruit adults in their 20s and 30s, as most of their recruits are between the ages of 25 and 35. While the age of the participants may differ, each student seeks to find a life-changing career, which is the goal of the BUD program, Hummel said. Starting this upcoming school year, BUD a version of BUD will be taught in St. Louis area high schools to target high school seniors. This will help develop a pipeline of students who are ready and have the skills to enter a registered apprenticeship program right out of high school. Hummel believes this will help Missouri’s building trades grow and help the communities in which their affiliated members live and work.
For more information on BUD St. Louis, listen to the whole interview by clicking the play button.