St. Louis BUD program graduates 28th class of pre-apprentices

SIX PRE-APPRENTICES recently graduated from the Building Union Diversity (BUD) program, opening doors to good-paying union construction careers in the St. Louis area. Taking part in the March 10 ceremony at Iron Workers Local 396 Hall in St. Louis were graduates (front row from left) Andrew Bauer, Brent Thurman, Jamaal Davis, William Carter, Jr., BUD Program Coordinator Aurora Bihler, graduate Ryan Fain, Executive Director of Missouri Works Initiative Executive Director Megan Price, and (back row from left) Missouri Works Initiative Director of Operations Amy Phillips and graduate Mark Williams. The six-week program was created in 2014 by the St. Louis Building & Construction Trades Council as a recruitment tool to encourage more minorities and women to get into the union building trades. Today, the program is run by the Missouri AFL-CIO’s Missouri Works Initiative and boasts a 92 percent graduation rate. For more information, visit moworksinitiative.org. – Labor Tribune photo