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The latest news and announcements from Mayor London N. Breed

Mayor Lee Announces Expansion of City’s Successful CityBuild Construction Workforce Program

$2.4 Million in Funding to Expand Construction Training Program to Provide Workforce in Major Infrastructure Projects Including Rehabilitation of City’s Public Housing

Mayor Edwin M. Lee today announced $2.4 million in funding over the next two years to expand CityBuild, San Francisco’s workforce training academy program, with a third training academy that would allow up to 150 trainees to enroll every year. During the high demand for the City’s construction labor market and with major projects in the pipeline, the City will invest in additional recruitment, training activities, and employment services including the addition of a CityBuild Academy training cycle and specialized job placement services dedicated to public housing residents including the rehabilitation of 4,500 public housing units across 41 sites.

“CityBuild Academy is recognized around the country as an effective training and placement program that connects residents with construction jobs,” said Mayor Lee. “The expansion of CityBuild will ensure local residents are prepared, trained and have the skills they need to compete for jobs in an industry that is in high demand today, with the City experiencing unprecedented growth with major housing, infrastructure and transportation projects underway.”

“Citybuild Academy is an important part of Mayor Lee’s shared prosperity agenda where our workforce programs help reduce unemployment rates across the City,” said Office of Economic and Workforce Development Director Todd Rufo. “This initiative ensures the construction of housing is inclusive and accessible to San Francisco residents.”

The $2.4 million investment will build upon the 95 percent placement rate of CityBuild and create a third training academy. Citybuild Academy is led by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) and was created in 2007. It has successfully trained more than 800 individuals and placing them in more than 1,500 jobs within various trades as laborers, carpenters, cement masons, electricians, plumbers, painters, ironworkers, and many more in construction companies Citywide.

Currently, the CityBuild program offers two training sessions, each are 18-weeks long where up to 50 trainees can enroll in construction vocational training in partnership with City College of San Francisco Evans Campus. Trainees that have participated in Citybuild represent neighborhoods across the City including Bayview Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley, Outer Mission, Excelsior, Ingleside, Mission, Bernal Heights, and the Western Addition. The majority of trainees are between the ages of 25 and 39, and are followed by participants under 25 years of age.

The U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program is the financial backbone adopted by Mayor Lee’s 2013 Re-Envisioning Public Housing plan. As RAD’s first phase of construction and rehabilitation of 4,500 public housing units across 41 sites is set to begin in the fall, the investment will dedicate resources such as job preparation and case management to residents who are underserved or have multiple barriers to employment: limited educational attainment, prior felony convictions and or substance abuse, and inconsistent work histories. In addition to construction related employment, the services will outreach and prepare public housing residents for other key sector driven training academies in San Francisco including technology, healthcare, and hospitality.

In addition to Mayor Lee’s pledge to construct and rehabilitate 30,000 housing units by 2020 with one-third being permanently affordable to low income families and the majority of them available within reach to middle income families, the expansion of CityBuild will increase the supply of workers for in-demand industries as major construction projects that are set to begin development. These construction projects will require a pipeline of qualified and trained workers to fulfill the demands of the development. Some major infrastructure projects include Treasure Island, the Southeast Sewer Improvement Project, the San Francisco Office of the Medical Examiner, the California High Speed Rail, Moscone Center, Transbay Transit Center, Central Subway, San Francisco International Airport, Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit, and several private sector projects.

For more information on CityBuild and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, go to: oewd.org.