Funding to address gaps and work to break down barriers in residential construction ecosystem
Infinite Erie and partners, including Erie Insurance, the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority (ECGRA), and The Erie Community Foundation, announced today an additional $1,028,000 million funding to expand the Erie Center for Arts & Technology’s (ECAT) Construction Trades Training program.
With this additional funding, ECAT in partnership with Build Community Development Corporation (BUILD CDC), will expand an existing licensed Construction Trades Training program to include supervised On-The-Job Training (OJT).
“Not only is this a priority project identified in Erie’s Investment Playbook, but the need was confirmed as we convened the neighborhood revitalization practitioners,” said Kim Thomas, Executive Director of Infinite Erie. “We quickly recognized that this industry-wide worker shortage would first have to be addressed in order for them to meet their collective goals of providing access to safe, affordable housing.
“Through Infinite Erie’s strategic framework that lives on collaboration, local funding partners were easily able to coalesce around the impact of this initiative and approve the investments accordingly.”
The Construction Trades Training Program will expand training opportunities in construction trades for Erie residents to create employment opportunities and meet the current and future demand for residential contractors. This will work to further address a demonstrated, long-standing gap in the residential construction ecosystem and remove a barrier to the success of other projects focused on increasing affordable housing opportunities in Erie County.
“Recent studies have shown that we are facing a nation-wide shortage of construction workers to meet the industry demand, and that shortage has become a barrier to utilizing resources and scaling up neighborhood revitalization work here in the Erie community,” said Daria Devlin, Director of Social Impact, Hamot Health Foundation and Executive Director of BUILD CDC. “This investment allows us to expand ECAT’s existing, successful program and build a pipeline of skilled construction workers while simultaneously providing individuals with the opportunity to earn family sustaining wages.”
Local investment includes $105,000 – broken down to 35,000 for three years – from Erie Insurance to ECAT for classroom training supplies, $693,940 over 2 years from the Erie Community Foundation to BUILD CDC for OJT and program expansion, and $229,060 over 2 years from ECGRA to BUILD CDC for OJT and program expansion.
“Addressing the multifaceted needs of Erie’s unhoused population has been a pressing concern for years, but we also need the physical homes built,” said Karen Bilowith President & CEO of The Erie Community Foundation. “By supporting the Construction Trades Training Program, students are learning valuable skills and will be the pipeline of builders for the needed homes.”
“We can change the trajectory of lives and strengthen the local economy in the process,” said Dr. Perry Wood, Executive Director of ECGRA. “Investing in training for the trades is not just about filling jobs – it’s about shaping the future.”
The program will also incorporate OJT opportunities for students that will include rehabilitation of properties within four key neighborhoods in the City of Erie. The Construction Trades Training Program Expansion is a part of “Building Up Erie,” a larger initiative to increase access to affordable housing opportunities in Erie’s most disinvested neighborhoods. Additionally, properties improved through this project could be made available to an aligned initiative for community-wide supportive housing for Erie’s unhoused individuals and families.
“Since our company’s founding nearly 100 years ago, Erie Insurance has recognized the power of education. We know how important education has been to our company’s success and how critical it is to the success of our region,” said Christine Blashock, ERIE’s chief diversity and community development officer. “Expansion of ECAT’s Construction Trades Training Program will advance the revitalization of our community by preparing participants to enter long-term family sustaining and in-demand jobs.”
Below is the full breakdown of the project and funding partners working to make this happen.
Project partners:
- The Erie School District
- The Redevelopment Authority of the City of Erie
- The Bayfront Eastside Taskforce
- Our West Bayfront
- The Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network
- The Hamot Health Foundation
Funding partners:
- The Erie Community Foundation
- The Hamot Health Foundation
- Erie Insurance
- ECGRA
