Bricklayers Local 1 Joint Apprenticeship Training Program
The Building Union Diversity (BUD) program started in 2014 and has since built a successful track record of connecting St. Louis metropolitan residents with the growing opportunities for living wage employment in construction. BUD is also helping to address the growing need in the construction industry for a skilled and more inclusive workforce.
HIGH GRADUATION RATE
92%
of those that begin the BUD Program complete their training and graduate.
PLACEMENT RATE
82%
of graduates are employed through a Registered Apprenticship Program in the construction trades within 6 months of completing BUD.
IMPROVING INDUSTRY DIVERSITY
In an industry where only 6% of the workforce is comprised of minorities and women…
26.5%
of BUD graduates are women.
79.2%
of BUD graduates are minority.
About BUD
The Building Union Diversity (BUD) program is a six-week union construction pre-apprenticeship program, offered at no charge to selected individuals who meet the admission requirements. Recognized as a comprehensive apprenticeship readiness program (ARP) by North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), BUD offers enrollees a comprehensive introduction to construction employment by using NABTU’s nationally recognized Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) providing relevant national skills certification training, with a particular focus on job safety. (To learn more about NABTU’s MC3 curriculum, please visit https://nabtu.org/
The construction training team includes, among others:
Upcoming BUD Classes
Participant Requirements
BUD participants must meet the following requirements:
Preferred Credentials
We are looking for candidates that can meet these credentials:
Program Benefits
In addition to the free construction training, BUD also offers supportive services to participants including:
For more information, please contact:
Aurora Bihler
Building Union Diversity (BUD) STL Program Coordinator
314-312-3038
Aurora Bihler is a journeyman Ironworker and serves as an officer on the Examining Committee of Local 396. Aurora has been involved in many labor organizations such as St. Louis City Labor Legislative Club, the Missouri Democratic Party Labor Caucus, and Missouri Women in Trades. In her spare time, she enjoys playing pinball, vermiculture, and gardening.
Education –
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Sculpture – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Construction Industry Credentials –
Journeyman Ironworker
Welding Certifications: SMAW-A1; A7-n; FCAW-S B1a, B6a, C2
Safety credentials: OSHA Sub-Part R, OSHA 10, 30, & 510; Scaffold Erector/Dismantler, Crane Signaling/Rigging
Pat Dolan
BUD STL Program Facilitator
Credentials: DOL Approved United Association of Pipe Trades Apprenticeship Program and 47-year member of Sprinklerfitters Local 268, having served as an apprenticeship coordinator with the Missouri AFL-CIO and a BUD Facilitator since the program’s inception in 2014
BUD BACKERS
Building Successful Careers
*Stats as of July 2020
Hear from the Graduates
“The BUD Program changed my life. It has put me in a great position career-wise. I highly recommend this program.”
“When I started it I was struggling to find any work and I was a homeless single mother. Today I have a career and make good money and am able to provide very well for my family. None of that would have happened without BUD.”
“This program changed my life for the better. I reach out to young teens to explore this
program because it is an excellent opportunity to better yourself with a career and an overall
experience with people who care about your future well being.”
