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Colorado Construction Institute (CCI) is a nonprofit, residential construction training provider, based in Denver Colorado. CCI provides construction training to unemployed/underemployed individuals who wish to find steady employment but lack the necessary skills. CCI offers training and credentials in construction to its students.

Mission Statement
''Colorado Construction Institute (CCI) is a nonprofit training organization providing innovative 21st century pre-apprentice and apprentice programs where disadvantaged people learn the soft and hard skills necessary to bridge the middle-skills gap. We proudly offer a federally-funded YouthBuild program focused on serving high school dropouts, and several industry-supported construction training classes for unemployed and underemployed adults that lead to careers in residential construction. Since 2012, CCI's certified construction skills training programs have prepared individuals from across the Denver metro area to overcome socioeconomic barriers to success. ''

History
CCI was established in 2011  to address the issue of unemployment among Colorado’s socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. CCI programming began in the Summer of 2012 when CCI partnered with the Office of Economic Development, Youth Services Division, and launched a pilot academy summer youth program achieving 100% success rate. 2012 also brought CCI under the fiscal sponsorship with the Colorado Nonprofit Development Center, which assumes legal responsibility for CCI, provides human resource and legal help, and provides tax exempt status. Programming as of 2012 focused upon pre-apprentice training, for the construction industry.

2014 brought CCI partnerships with Arapahoe/Douglas, Jefferson, and Denver Counties, to extend the reach of programming. One new partner for CCI included a partnership with WIN (Workforce Initiative Now), as well as PACT General Carpentry course specifically designed to address the skilled labor shortage. Along with these partnerships 2014 brought the US Department of Labor grant for Denver YouthBuild, which expanded CCI’s staff significantly. This grant allowed CCI to expand its impact in the community and serve more out of school youth (OSY). These programs utilize DOL approved HBI curriculum and issue certificates.

2015 included the launch of Building Pathways, a program that will receive significant attention and resources for 2016. Building Pathways, designed to integrate construction training with secondary education, functions similarly to YouthBuild, but for in school youth (ISY).

Construction Bootcamps
Construction Bootcamps are 4-week training courses for adults that are ready to enter the workforce but lack the necessary skills. Classes are held at CCI’s location at 4800 Race Street in Denver. Alternatively, Bootcamps can be set up at a Mobile location. Mobile classrooms are arranged in partnership with another organization. Bootcamps can also be sponsored by a local construction firm. If a firm sponsors Bootcamp, the last two weeks of classes are tailored to fit the sponsor's needs.

Bootcamp training is rigorous and covers safety, hand and power tool use/identification, and trades skills. Students also earn industry-recognized certification. For completing the program students receive $300, a starter set of tools, referrals and interview guidance, and resume help from a Career Success Coach. Students generally receive jobs paying $12-15 per hour upon graduation. Students receive regular contact with a Career Success Coach for a minimum of 12 months upon graduation, to insure educational and/or career success.

Denver YouthBuild
Denver YouthBuild is a 6-12 month training program that allows students to work towards their High School diploma or GED part-time while engaging in hands-on training in residential construction techniques part-time.

Denver YouthBuild provides extensive career exploration while preparing young people for a variety of jobs. It’s not just field jobs – the skills learned through Denver YouthBuild are applicable to any job in the construction trades, from Project Manager to Architect. Students have the opportunity to perform hands-on work in numerous types of build projects so they can figure out if construction is the right career for them. Graduates get assistance with the next steps of their futures, whether it is employment, advanced training such as Apprenticeship, and/or college.

Denver YouthBuild’s hands-on skills training leads to an industry-recognized Home Builders Institute Pre-Apprentice Certification Training (HBI-PACT) certificate. Denver YouthBuild students complete assessments utilizing HBI-PACT rubrics, culminating in the issuance of a “PACT General Carpentry” certification that signals competency in basic carpentry skills. These carpentry skills, however, are the baseline skills for the entire construction industry. Therefore, HBI-PACT certification qualifies Denver YouthBuild graduates for entry-level employment across the myriad construction professions. Denver YouthBuild students also obtain Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10-hour certification that is valid for a student’s lifetime, and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification.

Denver YouthBuild devotes considerable time to so-called “soft-skills training” designed to equip students with the tools necessary to overcome their individual barrier(s) to employment. All students work one-on-one with a CCI Student Engagement Coach to set individual plans to reach their personal and employment goals. CCI also collaborates with The Conflict Center for soft-skills training. Some examples of soft-skills lessons include: time management, financial literacy, giving/receiving coaching, personal advocacy, conflict resolution, resume writing, and interview techniques. Denver YouthBuild also utilizes a “Youth Leadership Development” curriculum approved by YouthBuild USA, a national YouthBuild advocacy group. “Youth Leadership Development” includes lessons on neighborhood engagement and civic engagement.

In Denver YouthBuild, a young person’s academic education is equally important as their construction skills training. Before start-of-program, each prospective Denver YouthBuild student takes a Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE) exam to gauge remediation needs. Once in program, students spend an entire half of their time engaged in academic education with one of our accredited education partners, Emily Griffith Technical College (for GED academics) or Colorado High School Charter (for high school academics). Academics are reinforced through construction training as students engage in contextualized math and science lessons through hands-on applications. Denver YouthBuild students learn the principles of basic fraction algebra, measurement skills, and basic geometry in the “Construction Classroom,” then put those principles to work in the hands-on “Construction Lab.” At the end of program each student takes the TABE exam again, so that comparisons between pre- and post-program tests reveal improvements in numeracy and literacy.

Each Denver YouthBuild graduate receives an additional 12 months of post-program placement and follow-up support with the CCI Career Success Coach. This individual acts as a post-program mentor, maintaining bi-weekly communication with graduates and facilitating regular communication between CCI and construction industry employers that hire Denver YouthBuild graduates. The Career Success Coach coordinates additional trainings as necessary, to give graduates stackable credentials that lead to career advancement and job retention. Denver YouthBuild graduates can expect a starting wage of approximately $16/hour.

Building Pathways
Building Pathways brings hands-on construction training directly to the campuses of Denver area high schools. Hands-on learning and career exploration opportunities designed to empower students to achieve their fullest potential.

The program unites construction industry employers, secondary education institutions, and the workforce development system to provide pathways for high school graduates to enter Colorado’s construction industry. Each stakeholder has unique reasons to be at the table: industry employers need to prepare the next generation of workers; education institutions want to provide post-graduation opportunities for all their students; and the workforce development system has training dollars available to spend. Working together, CCI alligns these separate interests and produce positive outcomes for young people across the Denver Metro Area.

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Training Toolkit
The CCI Training Toolkit is a comprehensive guide for teaching hands-on construction courses. Toolkit content currently supports the Home Builders Institute (HBI) Pre-Apprentice Certification Training (PACT) curriculum. Consisting of 30% lectures and 70% lab activities, the Toolkit is designed to keep students engaged and productive. CCI initially developed the Training Toolkit for its own programs: Denver YouthBuild, Construction Bootcamp and Building Pathways. High success rates inspired CCI to share this product; offering access to the Training Toolkit to other schools and YouthBuild programs across the nation for a fee.

CCI bases the Training Toolkit on an experiential learning model. The Toolkits hands-on approach allows students to develop soft skills, including creative problem-solving, teamwork, and self-reliance. These confidence-boosting skills make training applicable to any career path. Lessons are designed to gradually build the skills of students, so they are able to master advanced construction concepts by the end of their training. CCI provides tracking tools so instructors can monitor the progress of each student, and adjust training as needed. http://ccidenver.org/training-toolkit/

Community Build Projects
All CCI students participate in community builds. which are designed to give students real-world experience in using the construction skills they are learning. Community builds also function as a method of giving back to the community that supports CCI. Community builds have included park benches, ramps for disabled individuals, an outdoor learning classroom for preschoolers, and picnic tables.

Partnerships
CCI has established numerous partnerships through its interaction within the Denver nonprofit community and construction industry. This list of partners includes :

•Emily Griffith Technical College - GED academic partner.

•Home Builders Institute - Supplies construction curriculum and industry-recognized Pre-Apprentice Certificate Training (PACT) certificates.

•Home Builders Association of Metro Denver – Programming partner.

•Urban Land Conservancy - Development partner, involves students in community build projects.

•U.S. Department of Labor - Denver YouthBuild partner.

•Mile High Connects- Grant partner, supports CCI Career Success Coach.

•Mpowered- financial literacy coaching partner.

•Workforce Initiative Now (WIN)- Job placement, development partner.

•Colorado High School Charter- Denver YouthBuild high school academic partner, Building Pathways partner

•Endeavor Academy – Academic partner.

•Cherry Creek High School – Academic partner.

•Wheat Ridge High School –Academic partner.