Building Futures Program Helps DC Resident Land Job
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Monday was a big day for DC resident Gloria Morrison.
The newly-minted Building Futures graduate (photo)
celebrated her first day on the job as a Sheet Metal apprentice. "She
was hired by UNITED Sheet Metal last Friday and started working Monday
as a first-year Apprentice on a
construction project by the Navy Yard,” said Community Services Agency
Client Services Coordinator Sylvia Casaro. Morrison had graduated from
the Building Futures program in August with a Math Achievement Award,
“but I can’t afford to miss a chance," she said,
and signed up for Sheet Metal Local 100's weekly math classes. On the
day she graduated from the Building Futures program in August she vowed
"to score the best I can" on Local 100's aptitude test; “I want to
become a sheet metal worker.” Her dedication paid
off: when Morrison completed the math review, she scored highly enough
to make the cut for the DC DOES Step Up program. Morrison took that high
score and ran with it, figuring “what if I am able to take the aptitude
test and score high enough to be accepted
into Local 100 apprenticeship program right away?” Sure enough, Morrison
took the test last Friday at Local 100 and did well enough to be
immediately accepted into their apprenticeship program. That same day
she filed her application with UNITED Sheet Metal
to report to work on Monday.