Photo: Ford
One of Ford’s goals in acquiring Michigan Central Station is revitalizing a Detroit community and bringing in jobs and revenue. A new Fast Track Job Program announced this month pushes those aspects of the project forward, offering Detroit residents paid hands-on training and a role in the ongoing project.
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The Fast Track Job Program is a joint effort between Ford Motor Company and partners including Christman|Brinker, Detroit at Work, and the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council. Twenty-five people will receive training and supervision in trades ranging from masonry and carpentry to electrical and iron work.
“In Michigan and across the country, we are seeing a shortage of skilled workers in the construction industry,” said Ronald D. Staley, executive director of historic preservation, Christman|Brinker. “We have at least a generation where a lot of younger people were pushed into college instead of the hands-on trades. The goal of this program is that participants will be sponsored for a full apprenticeship and go on to have a lifelong career in skilled trades.”
Fast Track Job Program to continue through 2022
Photo: Ford
Those trained in the program will eventually join the 140 workers currently advancing phase two of the Michigan Central Station restoration project. The latest phase, which kicked off last May, includes repairing acres of masonry, installation of roofing, and structural reinforcement. By the end of 2020, Ford hopes to double the number of workers on the project.
The onboarding component of the Fast Track Job Program lasts four months. Pay is $15 per hour for a 40-hour work week. Members of each cohort are selected based on experience with construction and trades programs including Detroit Future Workforce and Access for All.
The second Fast Track cohort will start up in February 2021. Additional cohorts will join in intervals until the completion of renovation in 2022. By the completion of the Michigan Central Station project, some 175 Detroit residents will have gone through the program.
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.