The I-71 interchange at Martin Luther King Drive is the project that kick-started the Uptown Innovation Corridor, leading to the creation of a years-long workforce development partnership: Pathways to Careers in Construction and Innovation.
In 2015, Uptown Consortium, Inc. (UCI) contracted WEB Ventures LLC (WEB), management consultants with diversity and inclusion expertise, to lead its economic inclusion initiatives around Corridor development, including the MLK interchange. WEB contacted Kokosing Construction looking for opportunities to train and hire Uptown residents for interchange construction projects. However, Kokosing explained that WEB needed to work with union leadership to secure apprenticeships and employment for Uptown residents—so that’s exactly what they did.
WEB gathered construction and job preparedness organizations to form Pathways to Careers in Construction and Innovation. The group includes WEB, the Ohio Department of Transportation, several regional job readiness providers—such as the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio, Community Action Agency, Mercy Ministries, Talbert House, Cincinnati Works and Cincinnati Public Schools—and the four primary highway construction trade unions (Carpenters, Laborers, Iron Workers and Operating Engineers).
“We knew that we needed to bring all of the players together if we were going to develop an effective, sustainable job training program within these neighborhoods,” said Henry Brown, a principal at WEB. “Everyone needed to understand the challenges and collaborate with one another to make this possible, and we’re pleased that it’s been successful in Uptown and around the city.”
When the group met in May 2015, it was the first time that Cincinnati highway construction unions and job readiness providers gathered in person to collaborate to address workforce issues. The group agreed to continue meeting to strengthen the area’s workforce and ensure that people entering the construction industry are prepared for employment and sustainable careers.
As a result of WEB’s partnership with the Pathways to Careers in Construction and Innovation members, Kokosing Construction hired 14 minority men and three women who were local union members/residents for the MLK interchange project and enrolled an additional six residents from the Uptown zip codes in union-based apprenticeship programs across the four unions. It was the first project that demonstrated the impact all organizations could have on the community by working together.
In 2018, WEB was awarded ODOT’s Business Development Award at its annual Civil Rights Transportation Symposium for WEB’s work on the MLK interchange project. And in 2019, WEB and other members of the Pathways to Careers in Construction group were invited to discuss the interchange project as a case study in workforce development at the symposium.
Years later, the Pathways to Careers in Construction and Innovation group continues meeting monthly to address workforce needs and collaborate on various construction projects. This month, members of Pathways to Careers in Construction and Innovation toured the 1819 Innovation Hub to learn more about what’s happening in the Uptown Innovation Corridor. Moving forward, WEB will continue working with the unions, career readiness organizations, Cincinnati Public schools and others to identify, train and place minority and women workers on Uptown construction sites, with a special emphasis on residents of the surrounding communities.
This is just one example of UCI and WEB’s multi-faceted approach to economic inclusion. In addition to workforce development efforts, WEB works with minority- and women-owned businesses to secure contracts with Uptown developers in both pre-construction services and construction. As developments near completion, WEB will continue working with UCI and all Uptown developers to ensure that minority- and women-owned businesses and Uptown residents have opportunities throughout the life of the developments through tenant selection, staffing and professional services contracts.
“We call the group ‘Pathways to Careers in Construction and Innovation’ because we’re looking outside the construction space to prepare people for the jobs of tomorrow,” said Howard Elliott, a principal at WEB. “We have a unique approach to inclusion, and we believe that identifying opportunities within innovation industries is critical for the growth of minority- and women-owned businesses and community residents.”