Building Skills NY celebrates its 500th construction placement.

Building Skills NY, an organization dedicated to providing typically underemployed minority New Yorkers a path to success by connecting them with quality construction training programs and job placements, announced its 500th construction placement on May 17.

To celebrate the occasion, Building Skills staff surprised an entire job site with sandwiches at the 881 Erskine Street at the Fountain Seaview Development project in Brooklyn.

"Building Skills New York is so proud to have made a positive impact on the lives of so many underrepresented New Yorkers and the communities they live in by connecting them with opportunities that may not have previously been accessible," said David Meade, executive director of Building Skills NY. "With the help of our dedicated staff and continued partnerships with local contractors and workforce partners, we look forward to putting even more New Yorkers to work building and shaping our ever-changing skyline."

Construction jobs provide enormous opportunities to individuals in underserved and underemployed communities throughout NYC. Projected to be one of the fastest growing job sectors in the next decade, the industry offers real economic prospects to men and women who have felt let down and left behind the 21st century economy.

"A key commitment of our work is making sure every one of our jobs supports the local community. That means beyond affordable housing, we always aim to partner with local organizations, like Building Skills NY, to identify residents for hiring opportunities," said Alex Arker, The Arker Companies principal. "We are proud local hiring is a feature of our legacy and especially proud that Building Skills NY's 500th placement is Sydney Nabawi at 881 Erskine Street at the Fountain Seaview Development, delivering new affordable housing for East New York in Brooklyn."

"I was previously working on a welding job and wanted to get back into construction," said Building Skills worker, Sydney Nabawi. "After delivering several frames to the 881 Erskine site I asked if they had any job openings. They connected me to Building Skills NY, and after vetting my skills and experience, they found a job for me on the site."

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