With skilled workers highly sought after these days, the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh sees a moment for students whose lives it wants to help change through education and employment opportunities.
That will be evident when the Homewood nonprofit hosts an open house April 20 at 5 p.m. in its 7800 Susquehanna Street headquarters. On display will be a new strategic plan and rebranding effort to further grow an organization that already has helped 600-plus students shed obstacles, including a prison past, to find meaningful work. TIP provides tuition-free learning, life skills coaching and other support for people 18 and older to learn skills including welding, masonry and carpentry.
Beyond strengthening bonds with the community, donors and employers, the vocational training provider also will introduce Executive Director Donta Green, who took the reins last year.
Mr. Green, 34, is a Larimer native, who studied criminal justice in college and is head football coach at Westinghouse Academy.
This interview has been edited for space and clarity.
PG: Is this a particularly good time for your students and for those choosing the trades generally?
Absolutely. And I think it’s because of all the changes that are happening in our city, you know, all the huge projects that are happening. There’s a ton of money to be made in the trades currently. For the first time in a really long time, the trades are hurting for people, and they’re hurting for a diverse workforce. This is a viable option for some high school students. It’s gratifying to see some who have never had a tool in their hand whatsoever, and have battled some issues, come in and they just light up.
PG: What is the Institute’s mission and who do you serve?
Our mission is to serve men and women with barriers to employment, problems with skills learning and vocational training. Individuals from various communities — whether it’s drug and alcohol issues, a criminal record (or) ... lack of a driver’s license. We bring them in and train them up. We have wraparound service, where we offer case management. We offer life coaching, counseling. And we do all that within 10 weeks. Right now, say out of a class of 30, maybe six are women. And I would say like 95%, African American.
PG: How would you define the Institute?
We are a trade school. But the vocational piece is probably only 30% of what we do. The other 70% is preparing them for life, right? Having a life coach, case manager, one-on-one sessions with a counselor every single week, group counseling sessions, too. Each student gets at least two hours of counseling a week. Job readiness ... math class, we have an alcohol class, we have financial literacy class, so we look at the entire person.
PG: Previous incarceration rate?
Historically, we’ve been around 85%. With the pandemic and some other variables it’s decreased a little bit. So we’re now between 50% and 60% who have some sort of criminal history.
PG: What is your recidivism rate — the share of your students to reoffend — and how does that compare with the general population?
The rate (in Pennsylvania) is 43%, 46%. Last year, ours was at 7%. We’re hovering in the single digits.
PG: What is your goal for those who arrive for training?
We’re trying to get them from where they are to a living wage opportunity, getting all the soft skills and the transferable skills needed in order to succeed long term. If you’re willing to do what it takes to make changes in order to be successful, we’re willing to do anything on our end to make that happen. Show up on time. Work hard. Be teachable and be drug free — do those four things you can come through with flying colors.
PG: Your message to prospective employers?
We let them know that this is a partnership. It’s not like we just place them and we fall off the face of the earth. We monitor them, we check up on them once a month. And we’re there as a resource going forward for however long the participant, or the employer, would like us to be involved.
PG: How much do they earn?
So we don’t allow anyone to be placed with a with an employer making less than $15 an hour. So in 2019 our starting wage was around $15. This last year, 2020-21, we were at $17.47, and this year we’re sitting at $18.45. That’s like the average wage. We’re having people go out and be apprentices ... making $25 an hour.
PG: How does the institute stay in the picture after graduates enter the workforce?
We keep them engaged. (They) come back and do some continuing education courses and (we) figure out how we can support them long term ... They can always come back, get reset, and then go back out, and attack it again.
Bill Schackner: bschackner@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1977 and on Twitter: @Bschackner
First Published: March 28, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: March 28, 2022, 10:23 a.m.
