Lucas Metropolitan Housing, Northwest Ohio Building Trades Council approve Project Labor Agreement including Apprenticeship Readiness Program

Today, Lucas Metropolitan Housing (LMH) and the Northwest Ohio Building Trades Council (NWOBTC) announce a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) on future affordable housing projects that exceed $100,000. The agreement creates an Apprenticeship Readiness Program (ARP) and oversight board to deliver Building Trades training and career pathways to qualified low-wage Lucas County workers and residents of LMH affordable housing communities.

The PLA prioritizes construction safety and best-value delivery of construction services coordinated across multiple trade unions. Beginning in 2023, Lucas County residents can apply for training in the Apprenticeship Readiness Program. ARP graduates are placed on a pathway to enrollment in paid, tuition-free Building Trades Apprenticeship training programs across the Toledo Region.

"The goal of this collaboration with NWOBTC is to offer community members interested in pursuing a career in the construction industry a pathway to achieve their goal through an Apprenticeship Readiness Program," said LMH President and CEO Joaquin Cintron Vega. "This agreement highlights LMH's commitment to supporting skilled labor in the Toledo area, investing in the success of Northwest Ohio, and providing efficient, safe, quality and timely completion of construction projects in a manner designed to create lower reasonable costs and responsible contracting on public construction projects."

"The Project Labor Agreement commitment and Apprenticeship Readiness partnership between the Toledo Building Trades and Lucas Metropolitan Housing is a path to stable, family-sustaining careers with benefits for residents who have faced barriers to education or employment - specifically people of color, women, women of color, and previously incarcerated individuals.," said Shaun Enright, Executive Secretary-Business Manager of the Northwest Ohio Building Trades Council. "This training program provides economic mobility for those served by LMH while opening an untapped talent pipeline at a time of unprecedented demand for construction tradespeople in Lucas County."

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About Lucas Metropolitan Housing
Established in 1933, Lucas Metropolitan Housing (LMH) continues to provide affordable housing to adults, seniors and children in its Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher, Mixed-Income and Market Rate housing units. LMH also provides myriad programs and opportunities designed to improve the total quality of life for our residents, with the ultimate goal of achieving self-sufficiency. The programs and services are the result of successful collaborations with numerous community partners. Our current housing portfolio consists of 2,633 Public Housing units, 4,657 Housing Choice Vouchers, 322 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit units, 198 Market Rate units and 107 Homeownership Properties. There are approximately 17,500 people who reside in LMH properties. Lucas Metropolitan Housing partners with ALL people and organizations willing to exchange ideas and efforts to enhance Toledo, Lucas County and the world.

About Toledo/Northwest Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council

The Toledo/Northwest Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council was established to advance best practices for construction and responsible development in Northwest Ohio and the greater Toledo Region. The Council represents more than 17,000 members of 17 construction union local affiliates across 15+ distinct trades, union-signatory construction companies, and multiple joint-labor-management apprenticeship training programs in Lucas, Wood, Fulton, Henry, Hancock, Williams, Ottawa and Defiance Counties.