Bergen Community College recently recognized 20 certificate program graduates enrolled under a $4 million state grant program that sought to prepare women and minority candidates for jobs in construction management.
Officially the New Jersey Builders Utilization Initiative for Labor Diversity (or NJ BUILD) Women and Minorities in Construction Trades grant, Bergen received $300,000 to offer students tuition-free enrollment in its construction management certificate program.
The grant also provided other financial incentives that removed common barriers to certificate completion, according to Bergen VP of continuing education and workforce development Cinzia D’Iorio.
“NJBUILD is meant to empower underrepresented communities by providing comprehensive training and support,” she said.
State officials launched NJBUILD as a workforce development initiative to increase the small number of women and minorities who seek jobs in the construction industry. With 151,600 construction employees in the state, women (9.2 percent) and minorities (Black, 4.8 percent and Asian 2.7 percent) account for disproportionately low numbers compared with their overall population, according to the state’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development and Office of Research and Development.
NJBUILD covered more than $3,000 in tuition, books and associated costs for each student in the 135-hour program, while also providing access to transportation, childcare and career placement assistance.
Students complete courses in areas such as blueprint reading and project management before earning a certificate in construction management.
Jhonatan Garcia, Bergen’s assistant director of continuing education and workforce development, said the program gives students the opportunity to increase their social and economic mobility by eliminating many of the barriers that prevent them from pursuing higher education. He also said the program has changed perceptions about the type of construction jobs available in the Garden State.
“A lot of people, when they think about construction, they think about manual labor or physical labor,” he said. “But our program is geared more toward the management or administrative capacity of the construction field.”
BCC recognized the program’s graduates as part of an evening celebration in October, where guests included Chris Schubert, a talent manager at J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, Inc., a construction firm, who discussed employment opportunities. Graduates also took professional headshots for their portfolios as they begin to pursue employment.
