Further Degrees Give Trade Workers A Longer Career
Union to University Upgrades
A bachelor's degree is valued in our society. Educational credentials open up opportunities in
tight job markets, and increase income and benefits over a lifetime of work. What if your lifetime
of work started in the military, or with an apprenticeship in the trades? Do you finish your
education when you journey out into the field? Educational directors and members of joint
apprenticeship committees in the building trades say, "no."
Unions often encourage journeyworkers to come back for further training and education. Some
workers become instructors themselves, and some are interested in union leadership. Others become
interested in professional positions in employer management. Bob Pleasure, Education Director of
the Building and Construction Trade Department (http://www.bctd.org), says "Anyone who is
preparing for a lifelong career has to prepare for a range of jobs and a full range of
opportunities in that field."
Deborah D'Amico, Senior Program Developer of the Murphy Institute agrees. "The union benefits
from having managers who come out of a labor background, who understand not only the specifics of
the work involved on a construction site but who have an understanding of and respect for the
workers and the tradition of labor out of which they come." Construction work is physically
demanding and dangerous. A lifetime of outdoor work that includes bending, and lifting can take its
toll. Many workers are interested in prolonging their careers. Also, many in construction
management are retiring leaving a demand for back office employees.
Local 94 of the International Union of Operational Engineers came to the Murphy Institute to
create a Bachelor's of Science in Facilities Management. The union had a long tradition of members
who had gone on to become managers. They found that the industry (including commercial and co-op
buildings) wanted managers who had the technical skills but also the tools to communicate
effectively in writing and in presentations. They wanted a more educated facilities manager.
The construction trades and the building operator unions have been especially active with the
Murphy Institute in Queens, New York. The Murphy Institute of CUNY (http://www.workered.org/) was established in
2005 and grew out of the 20 year old Queens College Labor Resource Center and Worker Education
Program. The institute offers technical and professional degrees and has been pleased to have
unions come to them to develop programs for their members.
The Murphy Institute looks for equivalent content, mastery and training union members have
already received, and awards college credit for such experiences when possible. This cuts costs and
time investments for students. For technical degrees, this is pretty new. According to Ms. D'Amico,
"The Murphy Institute has increased the number of union members it serves at CUNY to 950, a 94%
increase over our Queens College enrollments prior to 2005."
Another institution that caters to working men and women is the National Labor College (NLC).
According to its website (http://www.georgemeany.org/index.html), The NLC offers two degree
programs, a Bachelor of Arts in Labor Studies and a Bachelor of Technical and Professional Studies.
An interesting point about the NLC is that it teaches classes mainly on the junior/senior level and
asks you to enter with 56 credits in hand. You probably already have these credits through military
training, apprenticeship classes, union coursework, coaching, certifications, and life experience.
A course entitled "Educational Planning" assists new students in compiling the documentation of
these experiences in a single binder, which is then evaluated. According to Karen Banks, Director
of Admissions for the NLC, those who fall short of the required 56 credits sometimes enter the
technology training courses, receive a certificate, and then move on to the degree program.
The NLC, located in Silver Spring, Maryland, was created in 1969 by AFL-CIO president George
Meany, with the mission to further trade unionism and educate its members. At its inception, the
college worked in partnership with Antioch College to award degrees. Currently, the NLC is an
independent accredited upper-level degree completion institution. Course work includes e-learning,
and low-residency options for union members. Low-residency requires the student to be on campus for
short intense weeklong sessions.
Degree programs in these institutions vary and include labor studies, construction
management, occupational adult education, technological degrees, urban studies and many more. The
demand to reduce greenhouse emissions and green the construction industry has created a new pathway
for learning. The possibilities grow when you include independent degree programs that make use of
various departments of the college or university.
Going to college is often a difficult transition for someone who has been out of school for a
long time. Assistance with admission procedures, applications, and tutoring in writing skills are
available to new students at both the Murphy Institute and the NLC.
In the modern workplace the theoretical and technical skills of the apprenticeship are side
by side with the critical thinking and research of higher education. Mr. Pleasure points out that
the cap and gown we associate with college was actually born in the old craft guild system. Perhaps
a "mortar board" cap is in your future.
