1. Boston Housing Authority (BHA)
Career Pathways: Local Examples
The Project Labor Agreement, Section 3, and Career
Pathways for Public Housing Residents
April 19, 2012
National Community Reinvestment Coalition Annual Conference
Washington, DC
Supplement to Building and Construction Trades Department, Power
Point Credited to
Trinh Nguyen, Chief of Staff, BHA

2. Areas of Focus
 Project Labor Agreement: Pre-Apprenticeship Program,
and Apprenticeship Direct Entry, Utilization, and Retention
– Neighborhood Investment Strategies: Section 3 for
Employment Training & Education, Job Development,
Career Pathways, and Small Business Development
– City-Wide Partnerships: City Agencies/Institutions,
Community-Based Organizations, Community Centers,
Health Clinics, Schools, etc.
 Best Practices and Lessons
 Questions and Answers

3. About the BHA
 Housing Act of 1937
 City’s largest landlord
 13,000+ units
 12,000+ vouchers
 880 Employees
 $96 million federal operating budget
 $23 million state operating budget
 $186 million leased housing budget (combined federal
and state)

4. BHA Energy Performance
Contract
 The largest public housing energy performance contract
in the nation with its partner Ameresco.
 Worth approximately $63 million, it will provide water
and energy conservation measures in 13 of our public
housing developments throughout the City of Boston.
 The project will affect approximately 4,300 apartments
in 13 federal developments throughout the City of
Boston and is expected to save the taxpayers more
than $56 million over a 20-year period.

5.  Contract upgrades includes:
– replacing water closets, showerheads and faucet
aerators
– installing energy efficient lighting
– converting electric heat to gas
– upgrading or replacing old central heating plants
and installing co-generation and Photovoltaic
Electric system, Energy Star rated fiberglass
windows, high reflective “cool” roof membrane and
healthy apartment improvements.
Estimated Jobs: 600 jobs over 2.5 years

6. Project Labor Agreement
– This is the first public housing PLA of its kind signed since
President Obama reversed an Executive Order by the
previous administration and encouraged executive
agencies to consider PLAs in connection with large-scale
construction projects to promote efficiency and economy in
Federal procurement.
– HUD Section 3 Policy
– A highlight of the PLA is a pre-apprenticeship training
program for up to 34 participants, including BHA public
housing and Section 8 residents, YouthBuild eligible
participants, and very low-income Boston residents.

7. Career Pathways: Pre-Apprenticeship
Program
 Joint Project Design and Curriculum Development Between the
Construction Institute, Building Trades, and BHA
 Outreach & Assessment
 Apprenticeship Direct Entry, Utilization, and Retention
 Competitive certifications for an industry career
 Collaborative case management up to 9 -12 months
 Stipends for participants
 Employer sponsored
 Massachusetts Registered Pre-Apprenticeship Program
 Additional: Please see appendix A

8. Recruitment I: CAREER COUNSELING & COACHING
BHA development where
construction job takes
place, and BHA
developments
CORE COMPETENCIES & TRAINING
JOB READINESS APPRENTICE
AND LIFE SKILLS PREPARATION:
ENTRY SOFT SKILLS Practice entrance OUTCOMES
Orientation TRAINING exams, applications, 1. Possess life skills
1:1 Interview interviews, etc. and work readiness
Assessment: 2.Gain experience and
Basic Math and skills to be successful
English in a construction Job
Pass Drug Test HARD SKILLS AND 3. Possess skills to
BUILDING TRADE succeed in a
Min 18 yrs TECHNICAL EXPLORATION: construction-trade
TRAINING: OSHA 10, Site visits to various apprenticeship
Lead RRP, First AID, building trades, job
Weatherization, Green sites, and meet&greet
Building Assessment, etc.
Recruitment II: JOB
YouthBuild, Section DEVELOPMENT:
8, and Low and very
low –income Boston In between short-
Residents CASE MANAGEMENT & SUPPORT SERVICES term job placements

9. Project Labor Agreement Impact
 Pre-collective Bargaining Agreement
 Win-Win Partnerships
– Economic Efficiency
– Meeting the needs of Building Trades’ diverse
workforce
– Career Pathways for low-income and public
housing residents

10. Appendix A: Pre-Apprenticeship Program Minimum Standards
 Best Practices of an Apprenticeship Preparedness Program (APP):
 Use community-based organizations and local networks for outreach;
 Develop comprehensive assessment tools to measure applicants’ competencies and required skills for relevant
building trades;
 Jointly develop instructional training modules that include hands on learning, visiting construction sites as well as
apprenticeship training programs, visits from representatives from the construction industry and classroom
lecture;
 Coordinate at least a six to eight week training curriculum that includes:
– Hard skills of the building trade
– Soft skills for the trade – literacy, math/algebra, ESL
– Job Readiness skills - work ethic, getting child care in order, transportation, awareness of limitations of convicted felons
– Life skills – skills to learn to manage your life so you can show up to work, physical fitness, counseling, diversity and sexual
harassment training
– Entry Requirements – exam and application submission preparation (e.g. drug testing, apprenticeship interview skills, etc.)
 5. Provide stipends for participants to assist with childcare, transportation and other related costs;
 Pre-screen and assess participants’ employability skills, and professional and personal goals using an Individual
Employment Plan (IEP);
 Provide referral and/or wrap around services by partnering with local community service providers to help
program participants obtain necessary eligibility requirements, case management and other social services;
 Provide acceptance into apprenticeship programs with job placement and services; and
 Follow up after 90 days, 6 months, and one year to see if participants are still employed and if the preparation of
the apprenticeship program is effective.

11. Questions & Answers
Robert J. Pleasure
Special Assistant to the President
Building and Construction Trades
Department, AFL-CIO
rpleasure@bctd.org