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Paterson schools, carpenters council unveil program for students
Dawn Furnas//February 9, 2023//
“The announcement we’re making today is not just about building buildings or houses. It’s about building futures,” Paterson School District Superintendent of Schools Eileen Shafer said during a Feb. 9 event that unveiled a new opportunity for students.
At John F. Kennedy High School, officials from the district, the city of Paterson and Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (EASRCC) announced a partnership that will prepare students for careers in construction.
“We know there is a demand for carpenters. Perhaps more importantly, we know that the people who work in the construction trades have high rates of job satisfaction,” Shafer said. “The students who are here with us today are on the precipice of starting tremendous lives, and with the help of the carpenters union, they will have an even better chance of achieving those lives.”
Last year, the Associated Builders and Contractors organization estimated that the industry would need to bring in nearly 590,000 new workers in addition to normal hiring to meet demand in 2023.
“ABC’s 2022 workforce shortage analysis sends a message loud and clear: The construction industry desperately needs qualified, skilled craft professionals to build America,” Michael Bellaman, ABC president and CEO, said in a statement.
Paterson’s partnership with EASRCC aims to tackle that shortage by providing students with a head start on a career in the industry.
As part of the partnership, Kennedy High School will use the Career Connections curriculum for students in the construction trades pathway. The curriculum, which was designed to introduce high school students to carpentry, was created by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters International Training Program and approved by the Paterson Board of Education.
Students who decide to continue their education in the field will be able to enroll in one of three New Jersey Carpenters Training Centers, where they will join a four-year apprenticeship at no cost and have the chance to earn money while learning their craft.
Tom Wyzga, an EASRCC council representative, personally vouched for this kind of apprenticeship, adding that the curriculum “truly is an equal path to college for any student who is looking for a good-paying career.”
During the event, the Paterson Education Association donated work boots to students preparing for the construction trades.
Mayor Andre Sayegh, whose 78-year-old father is a carpenter, added, “As long as Paterson is in growth mode, we’re going to need carpenters. I’m proud of this most recent partnership. Carpenters matter. Carpenters count. Because you can’t build anything without carpenters.”
The EASRCC includes about 13,000 union carpenters in New Jersey.
