Minneapolis development program builds construction careers and life skills for youth

In a Minneapolis basement construction lab, a group of students tackled their final after-school project of the semester: a light board with working switches, wiring, relays and light bulbs that turn off and on.

The high school students from south Minneapolis and across the metro area laughed as they worked, the sound of power tools filling the room. They excitedly showed their instructors their successful projects when they were finished, but they did not celebrate for long. Putting their work aside, they went in search of another student they could help over the finish line.

Helping others is a key component of instruction at Lake Street Works, a workforce development program for low-income teens and youth of color in the Twin Cities. The program, which started this year, aims to expose more students of color and girls to the construction field as well as teach them life skills.

Participants hear from industry experts and learn skills from using a drill to budgeting.

The program is privately funded and is part of Studio-180, an economic development nonprofit in the Lake Street area. Construction companies and other businesses donate money or tools for classes.

Lake Street Works wants to expose teens to careers that can sustain families, said program director Jess Coykendall, who worked in electrical construction for 30 years.

The Lake Street area lacks well-paying careers, and many participants live at or below the poverty level. A career in construction could lift someone into an industry that they could then expose their children and neighbors to, Coykendall said.

Each 10- to 12-week class introduces students to an array of construction skills: carpentry, electrical, plumbing and HVAC. Meeting twice a week for three hours, the class also teaches relationship-building and honesty.

The class has 28 students and will likely double next year.

The construction unit was 18-year-old Leon Pollard's favorite. He excelled at it, building and painting a dog house on his own. Pollard said the work reminded him of the carpentry trade in Guyana, from where he emigrated.

"Where I'm from, I'm used to construction. That's why this came so easily to me," Pollard said. "Electrical was a lot of information to learn at first, but after we got started, it started coming to me."

Staff members work as liaisons to maintain relationships with participants, their families and their community. Students are taught seemingly simple skills that go a long way in adulthood, such as going up to a stranger, shaking their hand and introducing themselves, employee Alex Hands said.

"While the trade stuff downstairs is really important to give them the confidence that they need as students of color to walk onto a job site and say, 'I can do this,' the bigger part of our program is upstairs with life skills," Hands said.

The lack of diversity in the construction industry has been a topic of discussion for more than a decade, Coykendall said. But few gains have been made, he said.

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development numbers show just 12% of construction workers in the Twin Cities metro area are people of color, compared with 27% of the metro population, according to census numbers. While some areas of the industry — such as roofing and drywall — have much higher shares of people of color, others including managers and heavy construction operators have far less.

The Lake Street Works program is free, and participants earn money to attend — $30 per class period.

"When kids get to 14, 15, 16, parents count on that additional earning as family income," Coykendall said. "So, it's our responsibility to make sure that those families recoup that money and give kids an opportunity to not just pay bills but prepare for bigger bills."

The biweekly deposit is just one benefit of the program for students. Another game changer? Learning how much of their earnings to save and other budgeting tips.

When the one-year program comes to an end, the character development traits they build such as humility, integrity, work ethic, accountability, transparency and relationship-building will also be key to a successful career, Coykendall said. That will be true whether they immediately start working in construction or head to college.

Employers "are not asking for certifications and accreditations; they're looking for integrity-filled kids," Coykendall said. "Kids who are willing to work hard and have a good attitude. That's what contractors are looking for."