- Juanita Douglas
WOMEN OF THE ALAMEDA COUNTY PS / CBA : JUANITA DOUGLAS
colleagues , has helped Juanita develop Rising Sun ’ s unparalleled pre-apprenticeship training program . Opportunity Build is still one of the only programs offering an all-women cohort , Women Building the Bay . Prime contractors , representatives from every local trade union , Opportunity Build staff ( including a full-time substance abuse counselor , mental health clinician and case manager ), alumni , and a variety of industry and community partners ( such the Association of General Contractors ( AGC ), NorCal Carpenters Union , Tradeswomen , Inc ., West Oakland Job Resource Center ( WOJRC ) and Rebuilding Together East Bay-North , to name a few ) all contribute to the program ’ s success .
The program serves students from diverse backgrounds , all nationalities , faiths and identities . Enrollees include recent high school graduates , at-risk youth , former juvenile detention and prison inmates , and those wanting to make career transitions . “ We welcome everyone who qualifies . We ’ ve had several traditional Muslim women ,” observes Juanita , “ as well as transgender and non-binary students . In our last cohort , we had five women with master ’ s degrees . We had a 53-year-old graduate who ’ d spent decades in the restaurant business who is now a successful painter .”
Opportunity Build staff also interface with juvenile division and prison parole officers ( P . O . s ) to facilitate direct-entry into the program , which guarantees spots for all re-entry applicants . “ P . O . s are even starting to allow early release into our program because they ’ ve witnessed the successes of many of our other re-entry
“ We have a 90 % program graduation rate , a 90 % union placement rate , a 70-80 % job placement rate and a 55-60 % job retention rate .”
- Juanita Douglas
students ,” says Juanita .
In addition to classroom instruction and handson training , union field trips , mock interviews and résumé assistance , Opportunity Build hosts union and prime contractor networking events and provides each graduate with a work uniform , a full professional tool set and any needed specialty tools , gas cards , no-cost drug testing ( required to get job placement ), financial literacy and management instruction , and a year of free employment and job retention support .
The program also covers union initiation fees and assists graduates in applying for $ 5,000 Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeship ( ERiCA ) childcare grants . “ Because it ’ s key to high retention rates , we offer more support during the first year than most other programs ,” explains Juanita . “ We also have ten unions that provide up to $ 10,000 toward childcare costs to help our graduates get through the
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