unCommon Construction (uCC) is a nonprofit that uses apprenticeships to highlight learning opportunities and empower youth. Our kids earn weekly pay and high school credits by working on a diverse team of apprentices from across the city.
Our apprenticeships give high school kids exposure to construction and a baseline of technical skills, while also developing the soft skills and leadership qualities employers look for.
Your contribution helps our young organization take the next step by removing the start up costs for our first start-to-finish cohort of 10 apprentices.
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- Tools, Labor & Materials: These will make our apprentices money while also teaching them new skills, but we need to be able to buy them first.
- Insurance Policies: The right insurance policies (worker's comp etc...) help create a physically and emotionally safe environment where youth can grow personally and professionally.
- Transportation: Time with apprentices is limited to after school and weekend sessions - they're in high school! So, we're running shuttles to and from schools in order to make the most of it.
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Curriculum & Space: This includes rent at a consistent, non-worksite location to facilitate team building and put our work in context with lessons about how to read blue prints or presentations from industry partners.
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We're flipping the model of traditional workforce development. It used to be that you had to pick up trash or move heavy materials by hand before being trusted with a hammer or tape measure. Or, that you have to be a bus boy before becoming a server in a restaurant. We can't continue to expect that the same methods will build the next generation of engineers, architects, project managers...Our kids and community don't have time for that.![]()
While apprentices are in school, skilled staff and volunteers do all the prep work to make Build Days a high energy, impactful events. By collaborating on bite-sized projects that contribute to big tangible results, our kids leave the job site with an unparalleled sense of accomplishment.
Construction is engaging, rigorous and mentally challenging work. It can be frustrating and empowering at the same time.
After their first day on site here are the words these apprentices used to describe how they felt:
By the time an apprentice graduates from high school, he or she will have gained 120 hours of exposure to construction (more if they do multiple cycles), and we predict ~80% will have also earned an industry-based certification through Jump Start.
The result is a pipeline of alumni ready to lead the workforce with confidence when they graduate high school or college.
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$20,000 is a huge goal and we won't get there without your help. So far, we've removed the biggest up-front costs of running our program (labor, materials etc...) by partnering with Habitat for Humanity in order to build a strong apprentice program.
But we can't keep this program alive by being a guest on someone else's worksite. This campaign gives uCC enough working capital to complete our own projects, set a more consistent apprentice schedule and take the next step in building this impactful program.
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As educators and carpenters, our founding team has had one foot in the classroom and one on the job site for the last 10 years.
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Collectively, we've worked in dozens of schools, managed over 100 construction-based projects and worked with thousands of unskilled volunteers with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, KaBOOM!, YouthBuild and more - all while building a sense of community and accomplishment along the way.
Our experience, plus a Board of Directors composed of experts in construction, education, finance and youth development uniquely positions unCommon Construction to create a sustaining program.
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Share!
We're counting on YOU to help get the word out, so we're making it easy. Copy & paste the posts below to Facebook or Twitter & help spread the word so we can build unCommon Construction together!
Tweet: www.twitter.com/uCCNOLA
Support @uCCNOLA - Building houses & Framing character with #CTE Apprenticeships in #NOLA! http://igg.me/at/uccnola
#NOLAEd is getting hands on with @uCCNOLA apprenticeships! Support these awesome kids here http://igg.me/at/uccnola
Facebook: www.facebook.com/uCCNOLA
I just gave to this awesome new apprentice program in #NOLA - @uCCNOLA. Take a minute to support #NOLAEd http://igg.me/at/uccnola
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