At the Union Labor Advisory Network (ULA Network), we believe that one of the most important conversations happening in education today is not simply about college degrees—it's about creating multiple pathways to success.
Across New York City, a growing collaboration between The City University of New York (CUNY), the unionized building and construction trades, workforce development organizations, and industry partners is helping students discover rewarding careers that provide purpose, stability, family-sustaining wages, healthcare benefits, pensions, and long-term economic mobility.
That vision was recently on display during ULA Network's interview with City College of New York President Vincent Boudreau at the Concrete Masonry Design-Build Competition hosted by the Spitzer School of Architecture. Students worked alongside members of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1 NY, gaining firsthand experience in masonry construction while learning how architectural concepts become real-world structures.
The event highlighted a growing movement within higher education—one that recognizes the tremendous value of hands-on learning, apprenticeship pathways, and skilled trades careers.
For generations, students were often told that success followed a single path: graduate high school, attend a four-year college, and pursue a professional career.
Today, educators and workforce leaders increasingly recognize that success comes in many forms.
The unionized construction industry offers opportunities for individuals to earn while they learn through registered apprenticeship programs that combine classroom instruction with paid on-the-job training. These careers can lead to six-figure earnings, healthcare benefits, retirement security, and opportunities for leadership and entrepreneurship.
President Boudreau emphasized that educational institutions have a responsibility to expose students to these opportunities and help them understand how academic learning and workforce development can complement one another.
Throughout the CUNY system, colleges are expanding workforce development initiatives that connect students directly to high-demand industries.
Programs at City College, Kingsborough Community College, Bronx Community College, BMCC, New York City College of Technology, and other CUNY institutions provide training in construction, engineering, building operations, energy efficiency, HVAC, electrical systems, green jobs, and apprenticeship-connected career pathways.
CUNY's workforce initiatives are increasingly aligned with industry needs, helping students gain practical skills while creating direct connections to employment opportunities. The university system has also expanded apprenticeship and work-based learning opportunities that allow students to earn college credit while gaining valuable workplace experience.
The Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York continues to play a critical role in building pathways into union careers.
Through the Apprenticeship Readiness Collective (ARC), organizations such as Construction Skills (CSKILLS), Pathways to Apprenticeship, Helmets to Hardhats, and Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) provide direct-entry opportunities into union apprenticeship programs. These initiatives help connect high school students, women, veterans, and underserved communities to careers in the skilled trades.
These programs serve as an important bridge between education and employment, helping participants gain the skills, certifications, and confidence necessary to enter registered apprenticeship programs and build lifelong careers.
Organizations such as the Raglan Center and similar workforce-focused educational partners represent another important piece of the workforce development ecosystem. By helping students explore vocational education, career readiness, skilled trades awareness, and experiential learning opportunities, these programs create exposure to industries many young people may never have considered.
Career-connected learning is increasingly recognized as a powerful tool for student engagement and long-term success. New York City currently offers more than 130 Career and Technical Education schools and hundreds of career-focused programs designed to introduce students to real-world industries before graduation.
When students can see, touch, build, and experience a profession firsthand, they are far more likely to discover pathways that align with their talents and interests.
The Design-Build Competition at the Spitzer School of Architecture serves as an outstanding example of experiential learning in action.
The collaboration between:
provided students with an opportunity to move beyond theory and engage directly with the construction process.
Students learned not only how structures are designed, but how they are built, assembled, and brought to life through the skill and craftsmanship of union construction professionals.
These experiences help students develop problem-solving abilities, teamwork skills, technical knowledge, and a greater appreciation for the trades that help build our cities.
The future workforce will need architects, engineers, project managers, estimators, construction superintendents, building operators, electricians, bricklayers, ironworkers, laborers, plumbers, elevator constructors, operating engineers, and countless other skilled professionals.
Many of these careers do not require students to choose between education and employment.
Through apprenticeships, workforce development programs, and career-connected learning initiatives, students can pursue both.
That is why partnerships between CUNY, the NYC Building & Construction Trades, workforce development organizations, local unions, educational institutions, and industry sponsors are so important.
Together, they are helping create a more inclusive, accessible, and practical model of education—one that recognizes that success can be achieved through many different pathways.
At ULA Network, we are proud to support, educate, and promote initiatives that connect students with meaningful opportunities.
Whether through apprenticeship programs, vocational education, workforce development initiatives, or college-based experiential learning programs like the Design-Build Competition, these efforts are changing lives every day.
The message is simple:
The skilled trades are not a backup plan.
They are a first-choice career pathway that offers purpose, pride, financial security, and the opportunity to build something lasting.
And thanks to the leadership of CUNY, the Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, Bricklayers Local 1 NY, workforce development partners, educators, and industry supporters, more students than ever are discovering that future for themselves.
ULA Network Supporting, Educating, and Promoting Union Labor & Our Communities through Workforce Development, Apprenticeship Awareness, Career Exploration, and Economic Opportunity.
The ULA Network is dedicated to honoring the strength and solidarity of union labor by educating, connecting, and empowering individuals through shared experiences, opportunities, and support. Our mission is to uplift families and communities by promoting the value of union careers, economic development, and workforce resilience. Through collaboration and storytelling, we aim to build a future where every person understands the power of unity, dignity in work, and the promise of a better tomorrow. http://www.ulanetwork.com Subscribe to the ULA Network for more interviews, insights, and inspiration about union labor, skilled trades, and the opportunities waiting for you in the construction industry!
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