November 23, 2009 | Bronx Community College
Bronx, NY – Congressman José E. Serrano came to Bronx Community College to celebrate the completion of Project H.I.R.E.’s recent building trades training program.
He toured four newly constructed apartments by young men 20 to 40 years old utilizing recently learned skills in plumbing, carpentry, and electric wiring to build the apartments. The Project H.I.R.E. (Help In Reentering Employment) students laid wood flooring and tiles, connected pipes with running water for sinks, installed lighting and then finished exteriors of their apartments with a stucco-like substance called Energex.
“These men learned true trade skills which they will be able to use in the construction industry as the country continues to invest in the stimulus package to strengthen the economy,” stated Serrano while examining the workmanship of the new interiors.
“I was taken by the pride of the students and their camaraderie as they talked about their work.” Serrano then told the students how he has the greatest respect for people who can do things with their hands. “I can’t even drive a nail into the wall. These men (and women in previous classes) now have skills that allow them to make repairs, add a room in a house, or build a house. Some of these men, I just learned, have obtained their General Equivalency Degrees (G.E.D.) while going through this course. When I am back in Congress, I tell my colleagues that the 27 Yankees who won the World Series are not the only winners in the Bronx,” added Serrano.
Project H.I.R.E. Director Glenda Self stated, “This program helps people learn skills that they have never had a chance to acquire before. These skills qualify them to join a union and go to work in the construction field, or seek employment with housing developments.”
The excitement of what students in the 20-week program achieved showed on the beaming faces of two students: Daniel Jandres and Marque Bowleg. Both Jandres and Bowleg, ex-offenders (Jandres and Bowleg gave permission as well as Father Keenan and Stephanie Ali, mentors in the Create Young Adult Program to refer to them as ex-offenders) are facing the world with new confidence about their work prospects for their future in construction.
Supporting them in their time of achievement were New York City Firefighter Chaplain Chris Keenan; Stepahnie Ali, a middle management retiree from Xerox; Firefighter Mike Zofchak from Ladder Company 155 at Melrose and 155th Street in the Bronx; and Joe Meehan, a retired banker. They are mentors for Jandres and Bowleg in the Create Young Adult Program which is based at a transitional shelter for young men in Harlem. (The program was started by Father Ben Taylor, a black Franciscan priest, who had seen the devastation of drugs on families in Harlem.) When these mentors crossed paths with these two young men they suggested that they enroll in the Project H.I.R.E. construction skills training program.
“Completion of this program means a lot to me,” said Bowleg, who recently moved into his first apartment since coming to the city from Florida.
“My mother is so proud of me,” said Jandres. “I’ve actually accomplished something. Besides construction training skills, I’ve learned moral values and principles which will help me in life.” Wives, girlfriends and relatives attended the celebration of the program and walked through the apartments and saw the handiwork of their loved ones and friends. Everybody had lunch, which was prepared by students and family members.
Mrs. Robert Gupton was enthusiastic about the training Project H.I.R.E. had helped her husband learn. “I am happy my husband found this program. Recently a job he had worked at for years ended. He had to acquire new skills and I am so proud of him.”
Robert Edwards, who coordinates the teaching of construction skills, is a strong influence in the lives of many students when they are in class from 8 am – 3 pm. He not only is a hands-on teacher, he urges those students who do not have a General Equivalency Degree to take the G.E.D. test. Having the degree means much more to potential employers for people seeking employment in the construction field.
“You have to do math to use a tape measure or to read a blueprint. I try to give these guys a needed push to stretch themselves. The street is not the way. You have to have skills in life,” stated Edwards, who has had his own construction company for 20 years before coming to work for BCC in 2006.
Edwards said that although he has had to give up money to teach, he has found working at Project H.I.R.E. more rewarding because of the personal involvement in the student craftsmen lives.
Press, Radio, TV
Please call: Bryant Mason
Media Relations Specialist
(718) 289-5208
bryant.mason@bcc.cuny.edu
Founded in 1957, Bronx Community College (BCC), the oldest of City University of New York’s six community colleges, serves as the engine for academic and economic mobility for motivated students from diverse backgrounds and preparations. More than 10,500 students from over 109 nations are enrolled in 30 associate degree and certificate programs including Nursing, Radiologic Technology, Computer Graphics, Nuclear Medicine, and Business Administration, Digital Arts, Computer Information Systems, Education Associate, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology, Electronic Engineering Technology, Liberal Arts, Marketing, Accounting, Human Services, Media Technology and Paralegal Studies. BCC’s 43-acre campus, high above the Harlem River, features architectural masterpieces of Stanford White and Marcel Breuer, as well as the Hall of Fame of Great Americans, the nation’s first hall of fame. BCC President Carolyn G. Williams is in her 13th year of leadership service to the College, which is located on a 43-acre campus at 2155 University Avenue at West 181st Street , formerly New York University’s uptown campus until 1973.
The College is home to initiatives not commonly associated with two-year institutions, such as the Center for Sustainable Energy, which promotes the use of renewable and efficient energy technologies in urban communities. The National Center for Educational Alliances (NCEA) is currently collaborating with South African Further Education and Training Colleges and universities to create linkages between these institutions. NCEA also coordinates the College’s international initiatives and the annual International Education Week.
The Center has also facilitated a campus wide effort to create BCC’s Center for Tolerance and Understanding. The Center for Teaching Excellence offers faculty development to promote student achievement and to stimulate discussions to keep the teaching and learning process vital and dynamic. Take a look at BCC’s website at www.bcc.cuny.edu