St. Louis BUD Program Announces Remaining 2023 Classes
Date Posted: January 24, 2023
Posted In: News,
From St. Louis/Southern Illinois Labor Tribune: The St. Louis Building Union Diversity (BUD) program has announced its remaining 2023 schedule for its six-week, nationally recognized pre-apprenticeship programs.
The mission of the BUD program is to build a more inclusive workforce by increasing construction trade participation among traditionally under-represented groups, including minorities and women. It provides pre-apprentices with the opportunity to visit local building trades unions to give them hands-on basic training and a feel for each of the trades.
The first cohort begins Jan. 30. Final interviews were being conducted Jan. 19. There are three other cohorts available this year: April 17, July 10 and Sept. 25. BUD is a full-time program, and classes are held Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. the first week, and Monday through Thursday for the following five weeks.
LIFE-CHANGING
“The program can be life-changing for students by offering them the opportunity to make a living wage and provide for their families,” said Aurora Bihler, BUD program coordinator and member of Iron Workers Local 396. “It’s an introduction to the building trades that offers the skills you should have before you go into a construction career like OSHA 10 and CPR/first aid, and it’s also a hands-on program at the apprenticeship schools to see what kind of work you enjoy and what would be a good fit.”
Applicants must be 18 or older, eligible to work in the United States, have WorkKeys exam results and meet Military Selective Service Requirements, if born male. Preferred credentials are a Level 5 score on WorkKeys Applied Math and WorkKeys Workplace Documents, a negative drug test and a high school diploma or equivalent.
“Once we have the WorkKeys results, we can then schedule you for an interview,” Bihler said. “In-person interviews are about 15 minutes before a panel of representatives from community organizations, labor unions and construction contractors.”
HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS
During orientation week, students learn about the union building trades and construction industry basics, the different union building trades, how an apprenticeship program works and various labor and trades organizations. They will also learn construction math and blueprint reading and take the OSHA 10 and a CPR/first aid exam.
“In the following five weeks of the program, we go to different union apprenticeship schools for hands-on experience,” Bihler said. “For example, when we go to the Iron Workers school, we learn how to pack and tie rebar, use an oxy-acetylene cutting torch, walk on a beam and use crane signals.”