Community, public, labor and religious leaders are uniting to launch a pre-apprenticeship program that seeks to increase diversity in the Niagara Falls and Niagara County workforce.
Community and faith-based leaders joined representatives of organized labor and government in Niagara Falls to announce the launch of this program, which will seek candidates between the ages of 16 and 24 for skilled labor training.
Reverend JoAnne Scott, president of Niagara Organizing Alliance for Hope, says the program came together following discussions sparked by the community's disappointment over a lack of workplace diversity on the Cataract City's recent train station construction.
"We started this initiative approximately a year ago," Scott said. "We began to build relationships after we saw the issue with the Amtrak station. We saw that we needed to do something to help bring change to the City of Niagara Falls as far as disparity, jobs and diversity in the workplace."
The program may identify candidates elsewhere in Niagara County as well. Among the partners that will find candidates and link them up with training is Catholic Charities. The organization's CEO, Dennis Walczyk, explained that as part of their mission to build lives, their participation in this program makes sense.
"We have successfully worked with youth and young adults in the areas of education and job readiness, and those are people from 16 to 24 years of age, for 40 years in Erie County," said Walczyk, whose organization serves all of Western New York. "We are very pleased to be able to be able to bring this very exciting program, an effective program, to our dear friends in the north part of our region."
Elected officials on hand pointed out how the religious community has served historically as a leader and partner in social justice work, from civil rights to bringing people out of poverty. Among those praising this new partnership were Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster and Congressman Brian Higgins, the latter of whom announced that more than $130,000 in federal grant money is set for this program.
Labor unions are also playing an active role. The announcement of this pre-apprenticeship program was hosted by Laborers Local 91. Also on hand from the union sector was Adam Dickey, president of Iron Workers Local 9, who looked forward to seeing the results of this new initiative.
"It only serves to strengthen our membership, when we have individuals from all areas of Niagara County to provide us their talents and for outlook for continued growth and prosperity in our chosen profession," Dickey said. "To leave out one group would be a disservice to the Iron Workers, and it would be a disservice to Niagara County."
