St. Louis BUD program graduates 32nd class of pre-apprentices

FIFTEEN PRE-APPRENTICES recently graduated from the St. Louis Building Union Diversity (BUD) program, opening doors to good-paying union construction careers in the St. Louis area. Taking part in the March 29 ceremony at the IBEW Local 1 union hall in St. Louis were (front row from left) Bud Program Facilitator Harriet Holt, graduate Shannon Hotop, Missouri Works Initiative Executive Director Megan Price, graduates Kevin Anderson, Kennon Garner, BUD Program Coordinator Aurora Bihler, graduates Jessica Walker, Javon Spearman, Diontae Blanks, and (second row from left) BUD Program High School Coordinator Tracy Hykes, graduates Caleb Cassidy, Dennis Robinson, Jessica Percell, Kevin Hansome, Rachael Schaff, Jacob Riggs, Ali Hall, David Dominguez and Lewis Litton. 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