Nonprofit Helps Baltimoreans Get Jobs In Construction

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Ten years ago, when Baltimore was in the middle of a building boom, a non-profit wondered why more people from the city weren't getting good jobs in construction.

Now, as Mike Schuh reports, their efforts have changed hundreds of lives.

When in college, Lamont Long didn't realize his girlfriend was underage. He stepped into the world of a convicted felon and his dreams of a career went with it.

Kate McShane is familiar with such stories.

"We're not afraid of someone that has an acquaintance with the criminal justice system," she said.

She finds jobs for people, like Long, who have graduated from a 14-week job training program called Jumpstart.

"A heavy emphasis on attendance, punctuality, all the things an employer needs to see in any job candidate," she said.

Training, but with consequences.

Schuh: "So you could be a great student in your program, but you don't show up in time and you wash out."

McShane: "You're out of the program. Yeah."

Long excelled, as he valued his second chance. He's an apprentice electrician now because of a chance encounter that happened at his previous job. He collected trash at the Inner Harbor. Someone had thrown away a flyer for Jumpstart; he saw it and called.

"I tried it. Just tried, and see what happened," he said.

What happened is he became one of his company's better employees. Its president says good workers are hard to find. He now has eight from Jumpstart on his payroll.

"They want to prove themselves. They want to show that they're getting a second chance, and they appreciate it," said TEI President Frank Murphy.

They're motivated--just ask Long.

"I finished my four-year apprenticeship in three years and I have a cumulative GPA of a 95.6," he said.

Three quarters of those who graduate from Jumpstart get a job. Applications are taken Friday mornings at Our Daily Bread downtown.