Record attendance at Cleveland apprenticeship fair
Nearly 400 men and women attended the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council apprenticeship fair on March 27.
The Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council and its partners saw record attendance at their most recent apprenticeship fair.
The fair, which took place on March 27 at the Pipefitters Local 120 Union Hall, lasted about 90 minutes and nearly 400 people attended.
Doreen Cannon, Chair of the Cleveland Building Trades Tradeswomen Committee said nearly called the event the most successful since they started the biannual event in 2017. For comparison, the previous two fairs drew just over 250 people each.
The increased interest is good news for CBCTC-affiliated Local Unions who need to man numerous jobs during a massive area building boom. The current and upcoming workload, combined with the ongoing retirement of the Baby Boomer generation, has led most unions to increase the size of their apprenticeship classes.
The apprenticeship fairs provide an opportunity for individuals to learn about registered building trades apprenticeship programs. Representatives from various trades speak with attendees and talk about the type of work performed and the opportunities for career advancement once they complete their apprenticeship.
As previously reported in The Labor Citizen, over the next several years there will be approximately $10 billion worth of work in the Cleveland Building Trades jurisdiction.
Among the high-profile projects under construction are the Sherwin-Williams headquarters in downtown Cleveland, the Sherwin-Williams Research and Development Center in Brecksville, two Cleveland Clinic facilities in downtown Cleveland and multiple school projects.
Later this year, other high-profile projects, like the Centennial Building renovation, the Cleveland Cavaliers new training center and Phase II of the renovation work at Progressive Fieldwill begin.
Many of these projects will be done under a Project Labor Agreement or a Community Benefits Agreement, meaning apprentices will have a chance to work on the projects while earning livable wages and good benefits.
“All the trades were very well attended by the diverse group of attendees,” Cannon said. “It is a great event … we know everyone walking in the door is there because they are interested in a career in the trades and our apprenticeships.”
The Cleveland Building Trades hosts two apprenticeship fairs a year. The next apprenticeship fair in Cleveland will be in October