Donna Seering, Director of Workforce Development and Innovation at Melwood Community Services, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the Building PATHS program, which trains people with disabilities for careers in construction and skilled trades.
Building PATHS is an 8-week training program designed to equip individuals with disabilities with the skills needed for success in the construction industry. Participants receive hands-on training, soft skills development and industry-recognized certifications such as OSHA 10, CPR, first aid and flagger certification. Seering emphasized the program's focus on math remediation, crucial for passing trade-specific exams and performing job duties effectively. Since its inception in 2020, Building PATHS has graduated 123 individuals and made 91 employment placements, demonstrating its effectiveness in bridging the gap between disabled workers and in-demand construction careers.
Seering next addressed the misconceptions some employers have about hiring workers with disabilities. She noted that while some fear high accommodation costs, most workplace adjustments cost less than $500, with many being free or easily implemented. These accommodations can include simple changes in scheduling, equipment usage or supervision. By educating employers on these realities, Melwood aims to break down barriers and create more inclusive work environments. Seering stressed the importance of matching qualified individuals with employers, ensuring successful placements that benefit both parties.
Finally, Seering said the Building PATHS program showcases the untapped potential of workers with disabilities in the construction industry. She highlighted success stories, including Philip Richardson and William Lumpkin, two individuals with disabilities who found meaningful careers through the program. Seering said these examples illustrate how Building PATHS provides technical skills and helps participants overcome personal challenges and build confidence. She added that the program's partnerships with organizations like the Mint Project and Covenant House further enhance its impact, providing hands-on project experience and expanding its reach within the community.
To learn more about Melwood's Building PATHS program and its impact on workers with disabilities in construction, listen to the full episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
