ATLANTA — Everywhere you may look there’s a building going up around metro Atlanta and many of these construction projects need more trained workers.
Now, a local non-profit is helping young people in underserved communities prepare for those jobs.
Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen was at a job site in Cherokee County where there’s a new workforce is in training.
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Shayla Thomas says some construction zones are missing something.
“There’s not a lot of women, so I’m excited to do what they think we can’t do,” Thomas said.
Thomas is part of a crew of trainees. The Atlanta area nonprofit Construction Ready is teaching them how to handle power tools.
There are thousands of open construction jobs across the metro, and they are training the new generation.
“A lot of the senior guys are aging out, so we need that new workforce to come in and build it up,” the nonprofit’s Vice President of Training Johnny Hughes said.
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Many of the students are from underserved communities and would otherwise never get the opportunity to learn these skills.
“If you ever thought it would be hard getting into this, they’ll teach you everything you need to know,” trainee Bryant Cunningham said.
Thomas says she can’t wait to graduate from this course and help build her community.
“This is something I can take with me forever. It’s a field that will be embedded in me. I’ll always have it with me,” Thomas said.
The crew graduates next week. The nonprofit says 96% of its students land jobs in the industry. They have trained more than 1,500 people over the last several years.
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