Skanska has launched a four-week course designed to prepare non-union Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) to pursue union membership and bidding opportunities on the ongoing LaGuardia Airport Terminal B Redevelopment and Moynihan Train Hall projects.
The program – known as Construction Management Building Blocks (CMBB) – is designed to equip local MWBEs with information and resources to secure contracts and create jobs in areas of need across the United States.
The four-week course, being offered at no cost to participants, was established through a provision of the LaGuardia Airport Terminal B Redevelopment project-labor agreement (PLA) completed with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York last year, which allows Skanska to enhance MWBE participation by including non-union contractors on site.
“The Building Blocks program is an essential component of Skanska’s efforts to create opportunities for minority- and-women-owned businesses here in New York,” said Tom Webb, executive vice-president and general manager for Metro New York at Skanska USA. “We hope this investment in the MWBE community provides local businesses with the resources necessary to compete for major contracts with Skanska at LaGuardia Airport and Moynihan, and across New York State as we strive to meet and exceed the MWBE participation goals set by Governor Cuomo.”
The program will allow participants to meet union representatives to understand the benefits of joining a union; learn about contract opportunities on the LaGuardia Terminal B Redevelopment and Moynihan Train Hall projects; learn what it means to work under the LaGuardia PLA; and meet members of the LaGuardia Terminal B Redevelopment and Moynihan Train Hall project teams.
In addition, Skanska plans to offer an eight-week CMBB course later this fall focused on business development, project management, construction planning and cost estimating, and implementing best practice construction methods and procedures.
“As one of the most complex airport construction projects ever undertaken, diversity and inclusivity are essential to the successful redevelopment of Terminal B at LaGuardia,” said Frank Scremin, project director of operational readiness and transition for LaGuardia Gateway Partners, the team leading the Terminal B transformation. “Skanska’s Building Blocks program helps to further develop talented MWBE businesses to get them ready to bid on opportunities at Terminal B and beyond.”
