Soul of the CD: PACT Program building pipeline of construction talent

SEATTLE - Construction workers are on pace to take home a larger paycheck than the average worker in the private sector. That same study by the general construction association shows there aren’t enough qualified workers to hire. The PACT Program at Seattle Central College is helping fill that void. 

PACT is short for "pre-apprenticeship construction program." Over 11 weeks, students earn qualifications to enter a state-approved construction trade apprentice program. Throughout the program students take trips to active construction sites.

Last month, they visited a new apartment building being built in South Lake Union. 

Upon graduating, students will start earning over $30 an hour.

"I’ve been working security jobs and stuff like that," said PACT student Deonte White. "So this next month or so, I’ll be making $34 an hour. That’s a pretty big difference from what I’ve been doing up until now."

That kind of money can be life-changing. The P.A.C.T program is funded by the City of Seattle and is free to anyone 18 and older who has either a high school diploma or a GED. This opportunity is even available to those with a criminal record.

"It gives them a chance to make things right in their lives," said PACT instructor Derek Jones. "Just because I made a mistake, my life isn’t over. And I get a chance a fresh start and do something with my life."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up 14% of construction workers. The PACT program prepares women for how to face gender bias in hiring and harassment that is commonplace in the male-dominated field.

"Show these men up, that’s what I say," said Tee Wells, who is one of three women in the most recent class of students. "Show them that we can compete and can do just as much as they do. There will be people that think because you’re a woman you can’t carry this, or you can’t do that. And you just let them know. Stand in your confidence and let them know, ‘I got this job, and I’m prepared to do what I was hired to do. So, let me do it.’ And my instructors say you’re going to show the men. They’re going to have so much respect for you, because you’re going to go out there and do things that they had no idea you were capable of."

The P.A.C.T. program runs four sessions a year. They enroll about 18 students per quarter and have a 74% graduation rate. 

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There’s a weekly information session every Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the Wood Technology Center in the Central District. If you were to sign up, they have a day program and a night program available for those who work during the day.