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Creating Access and Opportunity for Minority-Owned Businesses and People of Color on Construction Projects

May 29, 2019 @ 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Instructors:
Travis Watson, Community Impact Officer at Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation and Chair of the Boston Employment Commission
Overview:

This training is designed to help construction projects create access and opportunity for minority-owned businesses and people of color. Between 2010 and 2015, MBE firms accounted for just 4.2% of Massachusetts’ 2.7 billion dollars of construction contracts. When Boston releases its disparity study later this year, we can expect similar figures. It should come as no shock then, when we read things like the household median net worth for African-Americans is $8 versus $247,500 for their white counterparts (See That was no typo: The median net worth of black Bostonians is $8, Boston Globe, December 11, 2017). More inclusive and equitable construction projects are by no means the only solution to income inequality. But they do provide excellent opportunities for economic progress, especially given Boston’s thriving construction industry.

Using design scientist Buckminster Fuller’s Trimtab Principle as a framework, this training will help participants:

Distinguish between reasons and excuses for construction projects not meeting MBE or people of color worker hour goals;
Understand the lay of the land and set ambitious yet achievable goals for MBEs and people of color;
Identify key stakeholders involved in a construction project;
Understand the difference between union and non-union construction;
Understand challenges that prevailing wage can pose for MBEs;
Identify resources available to help construction projects meet MBE and people of color worker goals;
Learn about proven best-practices for meeting MBE and people of color worker hour goals.

Registration deadline: Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Registration fee: Regular: $200; MACDC Member: $100; Student/Americorps/Intern: $50

Register

Details

Date:
May 29, 2019
Time:
1:00 pm - 8:00 pm