Redevelopment Brining Jobs

Gandia, a 27-year-old public housing resident in Centerville, says he can see that future because of a pre-apprentice program in masonry he completed in 2002 through American Community Partnerships (ACP)...

Now an apprentice with the local masonry union, he is part of a growing effort to get city residents employed in the city's redevelopment...

Ron Green, the program director for ACP, said those who graduate from its 16-week training course are exposed to a number of different construction trades, ranging from masonry to painting to electrical.

Classes include training in basic life skills, a heavy emphasis on math, and even real-life experience on a house built and rebuilt inside a local warehouse.