Posted on December 10, 2008

Richmond Job-training Program Earns Federal Recognition

By Karl Fischer
West County Times

The FBI honored a Richmond job-training program Wednesday for its part in reducing crime in the city.

RichmondBUILD, a pre-apprenticeship construction trade program that emphasizes solar installation and ecologically friendly building practices, has helped more than 100 city residents to blue-collar jobs in the Bay Area since it began in May 2007.

For that, it earned the 2008 FBI Director's Community Leadership Award.

"It took vision to conceive of this new way to address violence in this community," said Charlene Thornton, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Francisco office. "It took a lot of hard work to make it a reality."

Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, Vice Mayor John Marquez, Councilwoman Ludmyrna Lopez and police Chief Chris Magnus all lauded the city-run program at a brief ceremony at the RichmondBUILD office on South 27th Street.

"What we are seeing is really a national-model program," McLaughlin said. "This is truly a tribute to the many people who made RichmondBUILD a success, but it's also really a tribute to all the trainees and graduates who have used it to turn their lives around." [emphasis added]

The 12-week program provides construction skills that are in demand locally, said Sal Vaca, director of the city's Employment and Training Department. About 90 percent of graduates find jobs, with an average starting salary of $18.33 hourly.

The program includes training in solar installation and energy efficiency, and costs about $6,000 annually for each student who goes through it. The program runs on state funding, private contributions and a small investment of public funds, Vaca said.

About 35 percent of trainees have a criminal record, he added, but city residents of all backgrounds apply and succeed.

"If a crime-prevention program could invest in alternatives to sending people to prison for a tiny fraction of the cost of incarcerating people, and if those involved were at high risk of becoming involved in crime in the future, and if that program had a track record of (criminal) recidivism of 2 percent or less, "... it would be hard to imagine such a program existing in a community that has, in many ways, been torn apart by crime and violence," Magnus said.

"But that program does exist. It is RichmondBUILD."

Reach Karl Fischer at 510-262-2728 or kfischer@bayareanewsgroup.com.