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december 2017 39 BUILD (BUILDING URBAN INDUSTRIES FOR LOCAL DEVELOPMENT) From left: Cortney Cook, Alana Green and Brandon Raven on a job site with Build Inc. Photo by Darcy Finley BUILDING HOPE Construction trades training program changes lives S uccess in life takes more than motivation. It takes "a very particular set of skills." BUILD (Building Urban Industries for Local Development) is a social enterprise, non-profit contractor offering a six-month paid employment training program that also teaches the "particular skills" trainees need to maintain a community of support that will help them keep their jobs. "We train people who have multiple barriers to employment at the entry-level trades," says Art Ladd, executive director. "That could be people with experience in the justice system; with little to no work experience; who might lack education; experiencing inter- generational poverty; experiencing systemic racism." BUILD got its start in 2006, after the Indigenous community identified two key problems in the inner city. "People were living in poverty, stuck in dead-jobs or on social assistance with very, very low incomes; and living in homes that were very old, very poorly maintained, and didn't have modern insulation in them," says Ladd. There was also a huge spike in natural gas prices. "Community members said, 'Let's start a company to insulate these homes and hire the people who live in these homes to do the work.' " They partnered with Manitoba Hydro on a home insulation program and BUILD was born. "A six-month program is not enough time to break the cycle of inter- generational poverty or the lasting impact of residential schools, but we're finding people are seeing the possibilities, and BUILD is a really good place to take those first steps," Ladd says. He shares how one woman regained control of her circumstances. "We had one trainee, with five children, all of whom had been taken up by CFS," he says. "Her sister had passed away, and it took her to a very dark place in her life, and she spent some time with the bottle." But she wanted to do right by her family, and she was such a hard worker that BUILD hired her as staff. Over the next year, she regained custody of her children. "That sort of thing is transformative for an individual," Ladd says. "So many kids growing up in inter-generational poverty don't see other options, but when her kids see that she's going to work every day, working hard for them, it gives them a different view of what their opportunities are." BUILD works with participants to identify the things inhibiting them from success, and partners with other agencies to build a network of supports and programs to bolster life skills: For example, helping them get driver's licences, which is often a condition of employment. The program is broken down into two parts, starting with two months of intensive hard- and soft-skill training, including trades math. "We also work on money management, parenting, cultural awareness and ceremony — things that build upon the life experiences that they have," Ladd says. BUILD trainees work alongside experienced tradespeople. They frequently upgrade insulation in low- income housing through Manitoba Hydro's Affordable Energy Program and perform maintenance for Manitoba Housing rental units. "These are real contracts, with real deadlines, with real quality control, and a client that cares about the product they receive." BUILD isn't trying to compete with private-sector construction companies, but it is interested in negotiating relationships with large clients. "We're trying to fill a gap and provide solutions that the private sector wouldn't necessarily get involved with," Ladd says. "When large organizations that want to incorporate social purpose into what they're doing hire BUILD for large maintenance contracts, it creates ways for us to offer stability in people's lives and have contract partners rather than receiving gifts or asking for donations." Learn more at buildinc.ca ■ BY WENDY KING

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