Building Futures Program
A pathway toward a brighter future
The award-winning Columbus Building Futures Program equips members of underserved communities with life skills and teaches them basic construction skills in order to prepare them for a building trades apprenticeship.
This 12-week program helps participants overcome challenges that might prevent them from beginning a construction career in the building trades, thus showing them a pathway to a middle-class life.
The construction industry is booming in Central Ohio. Starting a career as an apprentice with one of the affiliated trades provides program graduates with a great starting wage, health benefits and retirement benefits.
No experience in the construction industry is necessary or required to apply. The Building Futures program is designed for unemployed or underemployed individuals.
The program is not just about teaching participants the skills needed to work in construction, it also teaches them important life skills such as financial literacy, math and reading.
Many Building Futures participants have worked in low-wage positions, earning little more than $8 per hour. As building trades apprentices, they can earn much more, if not double that amount, especially when working overtime.
During the program, members learn the importance of proper financial budgeting, which helps prepare them for future major purchases such as a vehicle, technology, furniture and eventually, a house. They also learn how to budget and take care of a new family.
Men and women who successfully complete the Building Futures program can join one of the C/COBCTC affiliated unions to begin a career in one of the following trades:
Bricklayers
Cement Masons
Drywall Finishers
Electricians
Glaziers
Insulators
Iron Workers
Laborers
Mechanical Services
Operating Engineers
Painters
Pipefitters
Plasterers
Plumbers
Roofers
Sheet Metal
Sprinkler Fitters
Tile Layers
After the successful conclusion of the program, participants will have a pathway into a registered apprenticeship program.
Is a career in the trades a good fit for you?
A career as a union skilled trades professional offers many advantages over other career fields. This includes renowned health insurance and retirement plans, industry-leading training and educational opportunities. Your wages will increase as your skill set grows, and diverse career advancement opportunities will follow.
The opportunity to pursue a career in this industry is possible without incurring tens of thousands in student debt or fees that necessitate loans that can burden a family or individual for decades. However, these rewards do not come without sacrifice.
Individuals who are interested in the Building Futures program and a career in the trades should have an interest in this type of work and understand what it means to be in the construction trades. This work may include working at heights, commuting to jobsites across Central Ohio (sometimes driving 50 miles or more) and beginning work at 7 a.m. (often earlier).
Interested individuals must understand that construction involves teamwork. That means they must be able to show up on time every day so the entire team of workers can start on time.
Nowhere is the saying “time is money” more true than in the construction industry. Absences and tardiness cost everyone dearly. Attendance standards are strictly enforced both in the Building Futures program and in the career field itself. The work frequently requires exposure to the elements and work outside and/or in unfinished buildings.
Union, skilled trades careers are valuable, profitable and in high demand in Central Ohio. They offer excellent rewards to career seekers but also require strong performance from them.
Minimum program candidate qualifications:
Men and women looking to apply for the Building Futures Program must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Pass a drug test, anytime and anywhere;
- Have or be able to obtain a driver’s license(if you had a license and lost it, we may be able to help you re-obtain it);
- High school diploma, GED, or equivalent;
- Be able to pass an Ohio Health physical fitness test;
- Complete an ALEKS math test or equivalent.
Building Futures Leadership
Program Director
Eli Wenzel
Wenzel administers, manages and directs all aspects of the Building Futures Apprenticeship Readiness Program. He works with key stakeholders, joint apprenticeship training programs, employers and building trades union leadership. Wenzel organizes the classes, manages the organization’s finances and maintains legal and regulatory compliance.
He also serves the C/COBCTC as the Workforce Development Lead. In this role, Wenzel coordinates and helps with Council-wide workforce development initiatives, including recruitment/outreach, the development and maintenance of partnerships with stakeholders and communication with those partners and stakeholders.
Prior to joining the C/COBCTC, Wenzel was a Fundraiser and Events Director at Summit Strategies, a Columbus-based political consultancy, where he was on the finance team for multiple statewide campaigns.
Wenzel is a 2020 graduate of McGill University and a 2022 graduate of Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, where he obtained a Masters in Public Policy.
He worked as an intern in Washington, D.C., for the National Academy of Public Administration, the office of Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) and Winning Strategies Washington, which gave him significant experience related to his new position.