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Proud to be from Pittsburgh: Bricklayers

PITTSBURGH — Bricks and mortar. At the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh, these are the building blocks of a brighter future.

"This is an opportunity to see if a young man or woman wants to work with their hands, get into a trade, build a life," said Steve Shelton, a contractor who founded the nonprofit trade school in 2009.

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He wanted to help people just out of jail earn a trade, get a job and support their family.

"When I was incarcerated, I'd see guys go home and come right back and they would say, 'I couldn't find a job,'" said Reese Powell.

Powell spent three years in jail and didn't want to end up there again. He had little job experience until he did the free 10-week program at TIP.

"I was in a halfway house and I saw an advertisement. Bricklaying? I'll try that out, and I started and I loved it," he said.

Now, Powell works for contractor Chip Fisher.

Fisher said the need for tradesmen is very high and the supply of candidates is slim.

"It's extremely difficult to find people today," he said. "What's nice about a program like this is they're already getting trained to be out working in the workforce."

According to TIP, only 12 percent of their students are incarcerated again within three years, compared to the state average of 41 percent.

Recently, TIP expanded to a bigger site in Homewood, allowing them to train twice as many students. The classroom resembles a work site and enables the school to provide training to 16 pupils. 

Others might see guys down on their luck, but Shelton sees potential.

"I think we have some of the greatest talent in our city just sitting behind bars because they were never given the opportunity," Shelton said.

TIP has a 75 percent placement rate for graduates, and maintains contact with them for one year to monitor their progress. 

To learn more or to donate, click HERE.

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