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Workforce Works

Build 1- Make It Right


October 2010 through March 2011
Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans, Louisiana

Prepared for Workforce Works, L.L.C. by Branford Durand, L.L.C. March 2011
Photographs courtesy of Byron Bishop and Lena Clark of Workforce Works, L.L.C.
Prepared for Workforce Works, L.L.C. by Branford Durand, L.L.C. March 2011

The Lower 9th Ward now has 28 new homes...

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Prepared for Workforce Works, L.L.C. by Branford Durand, L.L.C. March 2011

The Workforce Works Program

What is Workforce Works? from industry leaders. Workforce tion process. If they pass this initial
Works integrates civic and community basic qualification, Workforce Works
Workforce Works offers partici- engagement with hard work ethic to extends the offer to complete the ap-
pants an increasingly marketable skill challenge participants while encourag- plication process. The initial applica-
set and creates highly desirable jobs ing and supporting continual green tion is followed by a panel interview
in lower-income communities. construction education. The Work- process that determines an individ-
force Works experience bolsters re- ual’s mindset regarding the program.
What is Workforce Works’ Purpose? sponsibility, pride, confidence, team- It is a tough interview and evaluation
work and stewardship within the process. Approximately twenty-five
It is the intent of Workforce to community. percent of prospective participants
contribute to the training and devel- meet the minimal standards to be
opment of the next generation of How Does Workforce Works Workforce Works program partici-
“green” builders. Workforce Works Recruit? pants. Those that make it through
recruits and educates a local work- already have a sense of pride. This is
force from the local community - the Workforce Works prescreens pro- necessary if a true transformation of
Target Redevelopment Zone, allowing spective participants for basic qualifi- lives is to occur.
participants to gain on-the-job training cations before they reach the applica-

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Prepared for Workforce Works, L.L.C. by Branford Durand, L.L.C. March 2011

ial Populations
Workforce Works Targets Spec
•Persons with disabilities
•Single parents
vantaged
•Socially/economically disad
(Section 3)
•Financially disadvantaged
ged (to include ESL)
•Educationally disadvanta

ics : 36 Total Participants


Snapshot of Build 1 Demograph
• Women: 7
• Men: 29
): 24
• Target Age Range (21-28
• African American: 31
• Hispanic: 2
• Caucasian: 2
• Pacific Islander: 1
d: 33
• Financially Disadvantage
Disadvantaged: 35
• Socio-economically
aged: 7
• Educationally Disadvant

Workforce Works Teaches... How does Workforce Teach?


• Heavy Machinery • Demonstrate skill (in person or via instructional video)
• HVAC • Hands on (with supervision)
• Interior/Exterior Painting • Hands on (unsupervised)
• Electrical (Rough-In and Advanced) • Tools and process - task quiz (performed at random by
• Plumbing (Rough-In and Advanced) supervisors)
• Siding • Written Training Assessment (end of program)
• Flooring • Certification of skills (signed by teaching contractor)
• Erosion Control
• Landscaping Page 5
Prepared for Workforce Works, L.L.C. by Branford Durand, L.L.C. March 2011

Build 1 - Make It Right


The Project In addition to providing such services to the com-
In October 2010, Byron Bishop and his Workforce munity, Workforce Works employed and trained Lower
program undertook the task of constructing 30 LEED 9th Ward residents who are now equipped with market-
Platinum Certified homes in the Lower 9th Ward - a able and essential skills that will help them become high
neighborhood most devastated by Hurricane Katrina. demand recruits in the construction industry.
Through a partnership with Egan Construction Man-
Workforce Works Accomplishments
agement, L.L.C. and its leader Ben Egan, Sr., socially
Workforce Works saved Make It Right more than
and economically disadvantaged Orleans and St. Ber- $1,900,000 over the course of this project.
nard Parish residents were put to work, learning how to The scope of the build was reduced from 30 to 28
implement the newest “green” construction techniques homes, and the program’s budget for operations on this
and technologies. 28-home build was established at $2,319,004. This fig-
In addition to building homes for families displaced ure was based on the projected cost of unskilled and
more than five years after the storm, this unique en- lower-skilled labor associated with constructing the
deavor was also an opportunity for Make It Right to de- homes – $719,004 for this labor, as well as the labor
liver on its promise to build state of the art “green” costs of performing various construction activities asso-
homes for Lower 9th Ward residents, while reducing ciated with Make It Right’s “green” techniques and
community preservation initiatives - Lower 9th Ward.
construction costs.
These costs were estimated to be $1.6M for this par-
With these primary objectives in mind - 1. hiring and
ticular build. Through March 25, 2011, construction is
providing training in “green” building techniques to
substantially complete on 28 homes - 26 of which will
economically disadvantaged residents of the Lower 9th turned over to homeowners on April 1, 2011, the re-
Ward, particularly within the 16-block Target Redevel- maining two homes turned over by April 8, 2011.
opment Zone, and St. Bernard Parish; and 2. complet- The cost of Workforce Works operations during this
ing 30 LEED Platinum Certified homes in the Target Re- build – October 2010 to March 2011 – totals $333,170.
development Zone in 90 work days (or 5 months) while This figure includes work performed on all homes, not
reducing associated labor costs by 50% - Byron Bishop just those in this 28-home build, plus “Lower 9th Ward”
and his team set out to revolutionize “green” construc- activities, as well as administrative expenses. The pro-
tion and community workforce development. gram costs a fraction of the budgeted funds, and com-
pleted its dual mission within the timeline established by
the project stakeholders.
The Lower 9th Ward
Build 1 was a partnership between Workforce Works
and Make It Right to construct 30 LEED Platinum Certi- 9th Ward” workload, Work-
In addition to an increased “Lower
fied homes in the Lower 9th Ward over a five month pe- ificant amount of work on ad-
force Works also performed a sign
riod. As the project took off, it became clear that Work- this build, providing support
dresses that were not associated with
tion began in a previous MIR
force Works was providing essential services to Lower to complete homes where construc
Works logged 6,410.5 hours (or
9th Ward residents beyond the construction of new build. Comparatively, Workforce
28 homes which comprised this
homes - the build was extended to 6 months, so Work- 56% of direct labor hours) on the
9th Ward activities; and 3,220
build; 1,812 hours (16%) on Lower
force could undertake more Lower 9th Ward tasks. outside the scope of the build.
direct labor hours (28%) on homes
Yes, Workforce Works program participants and
staff worked on building new constructions, but they
also performed erosion control, street clean up, oper-
ated a neighborhood recycling center, performed land- Overall savings equaled $1,985,835, meaning Workforce
Works cut 85.6% of its projected budget.
scaping, and managed resident requests - all to the
benefit of the Lower 9th Ward Community at large.

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Prepared for Workforce Works, L.L.C. by Branford Durand, L.L.C. March 2011

How is Workforce Works


85% more cost efficient?

Workforce Works participants erintendent, and are


by Jon Sader, MIR Construction Sup
The budget figures were presented d of similar scope.
have different motivations. Tradi- s for building similar homes in a buil
based on MIR’s actual historical cost reflect the increased
tional unskilled construction labor, was released in January 2011 to
The revised budget for this project as this build progressed.
which Workforce Works assumed
paid hourly through a contractor or “Lower 9th Ward” responsibilities n-
g expenses were recorded and mai
The cost figu res pres ented as Workforce Works operatin ugh
sub-contractor, is motivated only by by ECM thro
el. However, payroll was managed
the prospect of accumulating as tained by Workforce Works personn reso urce s staff . Bran ford Durand,
rnally by MIR hum an
January 2010, and thereafter inte ember 2010. The pro-
many hours as possible, without payroll process as it existed in Nov
L.L.C. performed an audit of the adsheets prepared by
regard for quality or efficiency of the rs recorded in the time tracking spre
cedures included verifying the hou and the payroll records
sheets prepared by team leaders
work performed. Workforce partici- Lena Clark with hard-copy time
r, Paychex.
pants arrive on the site ready to re- from ECM and its payroll processo
ceive on-the-job training in trades,
which facilitate personal and profes-
sional development. And, although
Workforce hourly pay rates are around 50% of the $1.6M. There is some ambiguity
Note the Lower 9th Ward costs of
compensation normally paid to unskilled construction reasons: Make It Right decided to
surrounding this figure for several
laborers, the starting pay rates are competitive and ce Works (increase the budget al-
increase the workload of Workfor
midway point of the program;
adequately supplement the value inherent in the level lowance) for these activities at the
not available to Workforce Works
and amount of training the workers receive. accurate historical cost figures were
in breadth of new activities classi-
Workforce’s management has different motivations. for comparison; and, the increase
M figure, as provided by Jon Sader,
fied as Lower 9th Ward. The $1.6
Workforce does not overextend itself by taking on multi- the savings analysis.
serves as the comparative basis for
ple projects concurrently. Workforce focuses on project
completion just as much as it does training and devel-
opment of the local labor pool. When Workforce is con-
tracted for a project, the organization commits its full it procedures were
The results of the substantive aud
complement of resources to completing the project within rt and are avail-
presented in the mid-program repo
the established timeline and under the anticipated budget. of the tests indi-
able upon request. The findings
Workforce Works
Once Workforce is engaged in a build, successful per- cate that the hours worked by
cted by the time
formance and completion of the project become the un- participants are accurately refle
and updated by
wavering focus of Workforce’s management team. tracking spreadsheets maintained
onnel.
Workforce Works administrative pers
Workforce Works is able to achieve these
seemingly amazing results by reducing the
cost of unskilled and skilled labor throughout
e was
all phases of the construction project. Work- ing wages of $10/hour, which wag
Program participants received start 2011 . Alth ough all
$12/hour in January
force recruits individuals with minimal experi- increased for most participants to pres ente d in this repo rt
increases, the figures
ence, puts them to work performing basic participants did not receive $2.00 erva tism is app ropr i-
such increase. This cons
construction activities, and trains them to per- assume all participants did receive MIR bega n man agin g
of payroll records once
ate considering the inaccessibility peri od betw een Janu -
form activities requiring increasing levels of . Actual costs for this
the payroll process in January 2011 r than repr esen ted in
skill as the project progresses. This structure are very likely lowe
ary 31, 2011 and February 25, 2011 wed
only 10 Wor kforce participant contracts were rene
not only reduces the overall costs of the build, this report. Moreover, to Mar ch 25, 2011 , ten
February 28, 2011
but also facilitates better management of cash through the end of the build. From
$14.00/hour.
flows in financing a project of this magnitude. participants were earning a wage of

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Prepared for Workforce Works, L.L.C. by Branford Durand, L.L.C. March 2011

Workforce Works
Training and Development

Over the course of the six- January


leaders earning $12.00/hour. In
month build, Workforce Works The program started with four team Sup ervi sor and
promoted to Construction
2011 , three of these individuals were iving promo-
employed 36 people from the were replaced by participants rece
began earning $17.50/hour, and prog ram ’s end,
New Orleans community to January 2011 through the
tions to become Team Leaders. From and four Team
ervisors earning $17.50/hour
assist in the construction of 28 there were three Construction Sup es, and the ap-
icipants were paid as employe
LEED Platinum Certified homes Leaders earning $13.00/hour. Part the cost of the
s are calculated as part of
in the Lower 9th Ward. Work- propriate employer withholding taxe as inde-
ram personnel were compensated
labo r. Other Workforce Works prog for this labor.
force’s stated mission is to pro- employer tax liability was incurred
pendent contractors, and thus no res pres ente d in
vide training to acquire market- ks, which is reflected in the figu
All personnel worked 40-hour wee
able skills in trades to people of this document.
disadvantaged backgrounds –
describing the predominate
demographic in the Make It Right target redevelopment
participant labor –
zone. Ninety-seven percent (35 of 36) of Workforce par- March 2011 direct costs figures –
ated labor required on
ticipants could be identified as belonging to a “special is calculated as the total estim
696 hou rs – multiplied by
population.” Several participants were born and raised, the 28 homes in this build –
of the four Team Leaders
$13.00 per hour. Three
and 14 continue to reside in the Lower 9th Ward. e It Righ t until the end
will continue to work with Mak
The average Workforce participant in the Make It – the last day of Workforce
of the build, April 8, 2011
ch 25, 2011 .
Right Build amassed over 650 hours on-the-job training, operations at the site is Mar
learning valuable and marketable trades such as electri-
cal installation, plumbing, landscaping, and roofing. The
day-to-day performance of participants is evaluated
January 2011 due
based on several metrics – oral assessment at the mid- Administrative costs decreased in
ber resigned in
way point, written examination at project completion, to a reduction in staff – one mem
r became a full-
and independent evaluation by an experienced contrac- order to go back to college, the othe
Management.
time staffer at Egan Construction
tor to earn the Certification of Advanced Skills Training. rative staffer re-
However, the remaining administ
Eight Workforce participants earned the Certification $15.00/hour to
ceived a pay increase from
for Advanced Skills Training in electrical, and another $17.50/hour.
participant obtained the Advanced Skills Training plumb-
ing certification. Several individuals demonstrated natu-
ral management ability, as well as the aptitude to per-
form in the skilled construction trades. These partici- nt earning the
A $200.00 bonus for each participa
pants took full advantage of their opportunities to lead Skills Training was
Certificate of Advanced
our construction teams – four new Team Leaders were the cost figures rep-
budgeted and is included in
e part icipa nts earned
promoted and trained to replace the three Team Leaders resented in this report. Nin
25, 2011 .
who became Construction Supervisors. these certificates as March
Ultimately, as of March 25, 2011, sixteen Workforce
Build 1 Alumni are employed, have secured offers of em-
ployment, or have enrolled in college after matriculating
through the Workforce Works program. Another 20 local
residents have acquired highly marketable job skills spe-
cific to the emerging “green” construction industry. And,
the Lower 9th Ward has 28 new homes.

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"Just seeing these guys 'get it' and realize
that nobody in this world is going to give you
anything...you have to earn it and by earning
it you have to invest in yourself and you have
to believe that you can do something; that
you can go study or learn a specific trade and
perfect it to the best of your ability."
-Robert Armstrong, Green Team Supervisor
Prepared for Workforce Works, L.L.C. by Branford Durand, L.L.C. March 2011

Workforce Works!
"It was weird for me at first because I am a woman and I
don't come from the same community or the same culture
so I was a little hesitant about whether or not I would be
able to actually earn their respect. But they've been awe-
some- all of them- they are 'wearing their shirt" like we
would say in Argentina. They are very proud of their purple
shirt."
-Valentina Lostalo, Purple Team Supervisor

"When I first came here I had no patience, whatso-


ever, and for me to stand there and teach someone else
how to operate a piece of equipment…wasn't easy for
me…I have really developed patience."
-Jermaine Frazier, Purple Team Leader

"This program really changed my life. I never knew anything like this existed. I thought life was going
to be just one thing like you're not going to learn, nobody over you is ever going to teach you anything.
They're just going to hoard the information so they can keep their job...but here it just wasn't like
that....They're going to give you the knowledge and say ‘I want to help you to take my job. I want to help
you get further than where I am.’"
-Corey White, Orange Team Supervisor

"I love plumbing! Once I learned, they actually put me


"Some days I came to work a little on a project by myself and it turned out fine, I had no
low, a little angry, and they lifted flaws. From what I've been taught, I can do it on my
up...We just talked about it, joked own now!"
about it, told me how I could pre- -Nolan Alexis, Green Team
vent it or how I could address it.
It's like a big family here."
-Dewen Battiste, Orange Team

"I found myself on my hands and knees on Prieur Street cleaning


out the drains and I look around and I notice that this is my old
neighborhood [that I'm] actually involved in rebuilding...and I
thought about who I was before Katrina and the things I was into
in these same streets...and now I found myself on my hands and
knees working, trying to help...I would have to say that was one
of my best moments."
-Terence Craig, Orange Team Leader
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Prepared for Workforce Works, L.L.C. by Branford Durand, L.L.C. March 2011

Advanced Skills Certifications


Nine of Workforce Works Build 1 participants will be
receiving Certificates of Advanced Training:

•Jermaine Frazier has become a skilled leader, teacher and


heavy machinery operator .

•Terrence Craig is rebuilding his own neighborhood and has ex-


celled as a leader.

•Terrelle Knighten has excelled in HVAC and is currently em-


ployed by Peppo Brothers.

•Dewen Battiste, at age 20, is the youngest of the Workforce par-


ticipants to earn the Advanced Electrical Skills Certification.

•William Jackson earned his High School Diploma while partici-


pating in Workforce Works.

•Dorian Donald will soon complete his certification in Auto Me-


chanics and is interested in starting landscaping business.

•Earl Guy excelled in heavy machinery operation; and has en-


rolled in college courses since his participation in Workforce
Works.

•Ryan Williams is currently employed by Egan Construction


Management, L.L.C.

•Nolan Alexis was the sole Workforce participant to earn the Ad-
vanced Plumbing Skills Certification.

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