Apprenticeship Enhances CIHA Construction
Cook Inlet Housing Authority's (CIHA) construction department has been operating a successful apprenticeship program for the past two years, providing hands-on training and job opportunities for individuals interested in the construction trades while affordably enhancing the capacity of CIHA's construction/maintenance programs.
The Building Maintenance Repairer (BMR) program is an accredited apprenticeship program developed by Alaska Works Partnership Inc. in cooperation with the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and local trade organizations. CIHA's first two BMR Apprentices, Mike Maxon and Jeff Cable, were both accepted into the Carpenters Union Local 1281 apprenticeship program after completing the BMR program with CIHA. Their experience with CIHA led directly to additional invaluable training and career growth.
The CIHA construction department recently invited Angela Ekamrak and Kevin White to fill the BMR positions vacated by Maxon and Cable. Both Ekamrak and White were active participants in the BMR program in the Bethel area when they opted to relocate to the Anchorage. Both come highly recommended and have experience in construction and maintenance trades.
The participants in the program are registered with the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training as Building Maintenance Repairer Apprentices. The program is a 4000-hour apprenticeship that combines on-the-job training and classroom curriculum. The classroom instruction covers worker safety, construction math, blue print reading and introductions to the principals of a wide variety of construction and maintenance trades, such as carpentry, electrical, plumbing and heating, and drywall installation and finishes.
The progress of apprentices is monitored and progressive pay increases are part of the training. At the end of the apprenticeship program the participants have a record of accomplishment, performance, experience, education and reliability that local trade unions are looking for. Classroom instruction and job experience combined with trade union outreach coordinated by Alaska Works Partnership gives the apprentices access to employment opportunities that they may not have had otherwise.
The BMR program is a wonderful addition to the construction department at CIHA. The program is beneficial on many levels; participants gain immediate paid employment, classroom instruction and hands-on training as well as long-term career opportunities in the construction trades. CIHA benefits by increased construction labor at reduced wage and benefit rates. CIHA's Strategic Goals of "Building Financial Independence, Building Lives and Communities, and Building Partnerships" are met in measurable and substantial ways. Everyone involved in the program wins.