Giving disadvantaged workers an opportunity.

Minority and disadvantaged worker outreach and training are not new to LIUNA, they are woven throughout the fabric of the construction craft laborer training and apprentice programs. However, in 1995 LIUNA Training developed a Minority Outreach Program (MOP) to help disadvantaged and under or unemployed workers secure living wage jobs as Construction Craft Laborers.

Strategies to increase employment opportunities include innovative recruitment, retention and training models. Run through our training centers, these LIUNA Training programs give minority workers the skills and education they need to succeed. That means more than skills training; it includes a structure that promotes partnerships with local organizations and government agencies and encourages buy-in from potential participants, local unions, and employers. Program activities include outreach and recruitment; employability (life skills) and job skills training; case management (referral to and/or provision of needed social services); career guidance; employment placement assistance; and post-graduate follow-up.

Experience has shown that minority and disadvantaged worker training programs must support the whole person and offer a rewarding future rather than just supplying a low wage, low skill job. That's why the LIUNA Training MOP provides comprehensive support and training that gives participants a leg up.