Construction Trades Workforce Initiative

08/28/2026

08/21/2026

Looking to start a career in the unionized building trades? Want to help build a better future for your community?

Come join us for our career fair on October 14th and learn more about apprenticeship programs, current job opportunities and how to start your journey to a great career in the union construction trades.

08/19/2026

Our Raising the Bar Baltimore summer cohort was at Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons' Local 891 in DC yesterday, where Local 891 Business Manager & Apprentice Coordinator Jamie Buck provided an intro to bull floats and other tools of the trade.

Students also got in some some hands-on practice screeding a simulated concrete pour (using sand), learned all about the Local 891 apprenticeship program and had fun with another practice construction math test.

Now class, one more time... What are the four main ingredients in concrete?

WANT TO START YOUR JOURNEY TO A GREAT UNION APPRENTICESHIP?

We will have two more info sessions about our DC Fall Raising the Bar pre-apprenticeship program, both via Zoom, on August 27th and Sept. 3rd, from 5pm-6pm both days. Our fall program will run from October 5 to November 13, 2026.

📌 Reserve your info session seat today:
https://bdcbt.org/apprenticeship/rtb-info-sessions/

08/15/2026

It was a packed house earlier today for an info session about Raising the Bar, our free, six-week pre-apprenticeship program.

The event included DC City Councilmember Wendell Felder (Ward 7), who said city investments in projects like the RFK Stadium redevelopment are about much more than buildings and infrastructure — they also create pathways to good-paying union construction careers for DC residents.

WANT TO START YOUR JOURNEY TO A GREAT UNION APPRENTICESHIP?

Raising the Bar helps participants to:

🔨 Jumpstart new construction careers.
🔨 Get an introduction to various trades.
🔨 Learn hands-on construction skills.
🔨 Explore high-paying union jobs.
🔨 Practice math skills & interviews, update resumes.
🔨 Connect with tradespeople, training directors & employers.

We will have two more info sessions about our DC Fall program, both via Zoom, on August 27th and Sept. 3rd, from 5pm-6pm both days. Our fall program will run from October 5 to November 13, 2026.

📌 Reserve your info session seat today! To register, visit bdcbt.org/rtb

07/30/2026

"People are beginning to see that they don’t have to choose between a good career and avoiding debt. Union apprenticeships allow individuals to earn while they learn and build a stable future.” – Beli Acharya, Executive Director, Construction Trades Workforce Initiative (CTWI)

START YOUR JOURNEY TO A GREAT UNION APPRENTICESHIP
Our FREE six-week pre-apprenticeship program, Raising the Bar, helps participants to:

🔨 Jumpstart new construction careers.
🔨 Get an introduction to various trades.
🔨 Learn hands-on construction skills.
🔨 Explore high-paying union jobs.
🔨 Practice math skills & interviews, update resumes.
🔨 Connect with tradespeople, training directors & employers.

Join us for an in-person info session in DC on Sat, August 15th from 10am-12pm, or a Zoom session August 27th or Sept. 3rd, from 5pm-6pm both days. Our fall DC program will run from October 5 to November 13, 2026.

📌 Reserve your seat now! Just click the "Register Today for an Info Session" button near the top of the story linked in this post:

The spike in Raising the Bar registrations mirrors a broader, historic jump in interest in the building trades in general, and in Mid-Atlantic apprenticeship programs in

07/21/2026

🪚 START BUILDING YOUR FUTURE TODAY! 🛠️
Less than two years ago, Kenyona Whitaker was working a minimum wage job, with no opportunities for advancement.

In 2025, she graduated from Raising the Bar, our free 6-week pre-apprenticeship program. Today, she's an apprentice with IBEW Local 24, enjoying earn-while-you-learn training, guaranteed yearly raises and employer-paid health insurance.

Unlock YOUR opportunities in the building trades — no experience needed! Register for an Aug. 15 Raising the Bar info session in DC and take your first step toward a rewarding career.

📍 Register for an upcoming in-person or online info session at:
https://bdcbt.org/apprenticeship/rtb-info-sessions

07/08/2026

🪚 START BUILDING YOUR FUTURE TODAY! 🪚
Building trades apprentices earn while they learn, have great benefits and regular raises, and get invaluable mentorship and on-the-job experience.

Our FREE six-week pre-apprenticeship program, Raising the Bar, helps participants to:

🔨 Jumpstart new construction careers.
🔨 Get an introduction to various trades.
🔨 Learn hands-on construction skills.
🔨 Explore high-paying union jobs.
🔨 Practice math skills & interviews, update resumes.
🔨 Connect with tradespeople, training directors & employers.

Join us for an in-person info session in DC on Sat, August 22nd from 10am-12pm, or a Zoom session August 27th or Sept. 3rd, from 5pm-6pm both days. Our fall DC program will run from October 5 to November 13, 2026.

📌 Reserve your info session seat today! For more info and to register, visit: www.bdcbt.org/rtb

06/18/2026

Nahom Fessehaye Solomon graduated in May 2026 from Raising the Bar, our free six-week pre-apprenticeship program. That very same day, he also learned he had been accepted into the apprenticeship program with Plumbers & Gasfitters Local 5.

Together, we are strengthening pathways into family-sustaining union construction careers and building a better future for all of us!

Learn more about Raising the Bar at a Zoom info session at 5pm TODAY, June 18. Our Baltimore program will run from July 20 to August 28.

📌 Register at: https://bdcbt.org/apprenticeship/rtb-info-sessions/

06/11/2026

"Programs like this help people like me who did not know these opportunities existed. This program gave us direction. It gave us confidence. And it gave us a real chance to step into something bigger for ourselves."

— Julie Ventura, Spring 2026 Raising the Bar Graduate
Together, we are strengthening pathways into family-sustaining union construction careers and building a better future for all of us!

Learn more about Raising the Bar at a Zoom info session at 5pm on June 18th. Our Baltimore program will run from July 20 to August 28.

📌 Reserve your info session seat today! Visit: https://bdcbt.org/apprenticeship/rtb-info-sessions/

06/04/2026

On May 22nd, Henos Woldemichael celebrated his graduation from Raising the Bar, our free six-week pre-apprenticeship program. That very same day, he also learned he had been accepted into the apprenticeship program with Plumbers & Gasfitters Local 5.

Together, we are strengthening pathways into family-sustaining union construction careers and building a better future for all of us!

Henos previously worked non-union construction. "With that non-union experience," he says, "it just makes the union so much sweeter. Because I know exactly how it feels to not know when your pay raise is gonna come. Or work unsafe conditions, fear for your own safety, just because you don't wanna lose your job."

Learn more about Raising the Bar at a Zoom info session TODAY June 4 at 5pm, or at the same time June 11 or June 18. Our Baltimore program will run from July 20 to August 28.

To register, visit: https://bdcbt.org/apprenticeship/rtb-info-sessions/