Tompkins Build launches paid apprenticeship-readiness program to feed local trades

Ithaca Area Economic Development announced a paid apprenticeship-readiness program called Tompkins Build that launches March 31 and will run through June 12, the agency told the Tompkins County Legislature on March 18.

The program is a 220-hour, hands-on “pre-apprenticeship” that combines the nationally recognized MC3 multicraft core (120 hours) with about 100 additional hours of communications and remediation. Danielle Szabo, director of workforce innovation for Ithaca Area Economic Development, told legislators the course pays participants $15.50 an hour and provides OSHA-10 and first aid/CPR certifications plus a student tool kit and safety gear.

The program is intended to introduce participants to union apprenticeship pathways across local trades and to address longstanding hiring needs in construction. "We are actually launching this at the end of this month and we are gonna be running 2 cohorts this year," Szabo said. She described hands-on visits to union training centers and a program project in which participants will build framing, install plumbing and electrical, and tile and finish a wall.

Why it matters: Local construction unions and contractors face a shortage of trained entry-level workers for multi-year apprenticeships. Program organizers said the readiness curriculum lowers barriers for women, people of color and others who have not previously considered construction careers, and prepares candidates for union entrance exams and panel interviews.

Key facts: the training will be run evenings, Monday–Thursday, 3 p.m.–8 p.m.; cohort size is capped at 15 for safety and instructional reasons; organizers said 10 of 13 trades in the local building trades council are participating (plumbers/pipefitters, electricians, bricklayers, sheet metal, painters/glazers, ironworkers, laborers, carpenters, heat/frost insulators and operating engineers). Szabo said organizers have run outreach sessions that drew roughly 120 attendees, with about 40 interviews completed and 21 interviews scheduled as of the March 18 meeting. Applications were open through a landing page on the Ithaca Area Economic Development website.

Funding and continuity: Szabo said the spring cohort is funded through an existing federal grant and that the nonprofit has applied for additional state funding; if the state award is secured the program could run additional cohorts in 2026 and support a connected transportation-support initiative called Southern Tier Connect. When asked by Legislator Shauna Black whether the legislature had contributed to the program, Szabo confirmed, "That is correct," but she did not specify an amount in the meeting.

Barriers and supports: organizers said reliable transportation is a major barrier because union jobs and training centers cover a wide regional area. For the spring cohort, program staff said they can provide gas cards for commuting; Szabo said the planned Southern Tier Connect initiative would pay for longer-term supports such as driver's license restoration, fines, car repairs and other items if the state funding is secured.

Reaction: Legislators broadly praised the initiative as a workforce and equity intervention. Legislator Randy Brown asked about transportation supports; Szabo said gas cards will be available for the cohort and that additional services depend on pending state funding. Several legislators, including Greg Mezey and Rich John, thanked Szabo and urged continued publicity and evaluation.

What’s next: the first cohort starts March 31 and runs through June 12; organizers said they will hold graduation events and that the program will continue if additional funding is obtained.