Skilled-trades training experts from Phase 3 Training host information session.
Photo: Simon Rawlins, student success manager with Phase 3 Training, presents at the UMB Community Engagement Center.
In 2015, before opening the UMB Community Engagement Center (CEC), the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) asked its neighbors what they needed most. The answer was clear: access to good jobs with family-sustaining wages and benefits.
UMB’s response to this community need led to the creation of our first program at the CEC: UMB Workforce Initiatives. In addition to helping people find jobs, the program helps neighbors connect with high-quality, free career training where they can get the credentials that lead to higher-paying jobs.
This month, Phase 3 Training, a renowned provider of skilled-trades training, was invited to share information about its free programs to UMB's community members. Phase 3 Training’s curricula makes its participants eligible to gain apprenticeships in four high-paying skilled-trade roles: Electricians, Elevator Maintenance Technicians, HVAC Technicians, and Solar Panel Installers. The training incorporates four components of workforce training best practices that UMB Workforce Initiatives looks for in training providers we collaborate with:
1. Nationally recognized credentials: All of Phase 3 Training’s programs can lead to industry-recognized credentials through the National Center for Construction Education and Research.
2. Connections with employers: Phase 3 Training has established relationships with employers hiring for apprentices in their four target areas. In fact, they start connecting participants with potential employers as early as Week 3 in their program.
3. Student success support: High-quality training programs include built-in support for students, such as staff, resources, and funding to help with bills, child care, and transportation.
4. Jobs that pay sustaining wages: Skilled-trades apprenticeships offer starting salaries of $20-$25/hour with salary progressions each year.
The Phase 3 Training Skilled-Trades Information Session was held at the UMB Community Engagement Center on Thursday, Nov. 7. Community members learned about eligibility requirements, the selection process, starting salaries, and salary progression.
West Baltimore resident Rodney McClain, who attended the information session, said, “It was really nice being at the center for the first time and even more wonderful meeting the team from Phase 3 and Ms. Rawlings, of whom I can say is a driving force when it comes to making people feel welcomed and helping others find resources.” That’s high praise from a community member, but it is the feedback Lisa Rawlings, director of UMB Workforce Initiatives, is aiming for.
Rawlings said, “I want every person we work with to feel respected, and I want to ensure community members find out about these free, high-quality, career training opportunities.”
That is evident from UMB Workforce Initiatives’ outreach. Between the UMB Community Engagement Center’s e-newsletter, the UMB Workforce Initiatives Facebook page, flyers, and word-of-mouth, over 150 community members showed interest in learning about this training program. Many applied before the information session took place.
To stay updated on UMB Workforce Initiative programs and opportunities, subscribe to the UMB Office of Community and Civic Engagement’s e-newsletter here: https://www.umaryland.edu/oce/subscribe-to-our-newsletter/.