{"id":162768,"date":"2026-02-04T00:37:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T00:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/162768\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T00:37:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T00:37:07","slug":"when-they-have-a-hammer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/162768\/","title":{"rendered":"When they have a hammer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Keiarra Mullins, a mom with four kids, had some history of legal troubles and had never used a hammer or a steel measuring tape. But she followed a friend of hers on Instagram as the friend documented her journey with the Emeryville nonprofit Rising Sun\u2019s Opportunity Build program. Mullins investigated, found that completing one of the program\u2019s cohorts offered potential access to one of 30 building trades\u2014and signed up. Graduating last year, she now has a full-time job as a cement mason.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey helped me change my life,\u201d she said in a phone interview.<\/p>\n

All signs point to a building trades jobs revival. A study by the jobs site Indeed reported, \u201cFor many job seekers, [the] combination [of] high demand job security and a clear path to advancement is what makes the trades appealing.\u201d The study emphasizes that retirement among current tradespeople has created a shortage of 500,000 unfilled jobs in manufacturing alone.<\/p>\n

But Gen-Z may be changing that. Education news site University Business calls it the \u201ctoolbelt\u201d generation, and states, \u201cinterest in going to trade schools has nearly doubled among teens and adults since 2017.\u201d<\/p>\n

The interest isn\u2019t limited to Gen-Z. Christine Vertiz comes from a family of white-collar workers. She worked as a property manager, but during the pandemic decided to make a big change. \u201cI can do the contractors\u2019 jobs,\u201d she said during a recent interview.<\/p>\n

She joined an Opportunity Build cohort in 2023, received her MC3\u2014pre-apprenticeship training program for construction\u2014certification, and now works as a pile driver, a member of Local 34, and one of very few women in the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted a union that will support me as a tradeswoman,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Both of these stories are familiar to Marlin Jeffreys, director of Opportunity Build, and reflect his own experience as well. He came to Rising Sun in 2017 with the aim of becoming an electrician. Recently released after 26 years in prison, he needed a fresh start into a profession that paid well, offered a solid career and, importantly, didn\u2019t reject him outright because of his background.<\/p>\n

When his cohort finished, he was asked to help with program recruitment, then became assistant program manager and has now been the program\u2019s director for two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cA variety of people from 18-to-mid-40s are served by the program,\u201d he said. \u201cWe see more and more younger people, since schools are pushing hands-on training.\u201d Rising Sun is partnered with the Alameda Unified School District.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>BUILDING FUTURES Education news site University Business calls Gen Z the \u2018toolbelt\u2019 generation, and states, \u2018interest in going to trade schools has nearly doubled among teens and adults since 2017.\u2019<\/p>\n

People primarily apply online, then are given a tour to learn about the process and interview with two staff people, and are drug-tested. Mullins noted that applicants, other than high-school students, need a high school diploma or GED, a Social Security number, a valid driver\u2019s license and \u201creliable transportation,\u201d but that the program can assist with some of these requirements. Each cohort lasts 10-12 weeks.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest advantages of Opportunity Build, interviewees said, is that cohort graduates are on its case load for 12 months after graduation. Any apprenticeship or job openings are immediately reported to graduates. This includes trades such as labor, ironworkers, boilermakers, pipe fitters, painters, plumbers, those mentioned above and many more.<\/p>\n

Mullins wasn\u2019t surprised to receive some pushback in a male-dominated field. \u201cI had to prove myself. I was asked to lift stacks of four-by-sixes to show I could do it,\u201d she said. But she was never late, never missed a day of work and is now accepted as part of the team. Yet, she said, \u201cI still get my hair done! I still do everything I\u2019ve always done.\u201d But now she has a job that helps her provide fully for her family\u2014and she\u2019s proud of what she does.<\/p>\n

Vertiz wanted a job on and near water, and now works with Richmond-based Manson Construction. She\u2019s worked on the Bay Bridge, in BART tunnels and on piers on Alcatraz. \u201cI encourage women to look into Rising Sun,\u201d she said. \u201cMy cohort was the biggest [the nonprofit] had ever had. They took a huge gamble with 42 students.\u201d<\/p>\n

For many, it pays off. Last year, Jeffreys said, 62% of its cohort graduates were placed in apprenticeship programs.<\/p>\n

Rising Sun Center for Opportunity, 1116 36th St., Emeryville. 510.665.1501. risingsunopp.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Keiarra Mullins, a mom with four kids, had some history of legal troubles and had never used a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":162769,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[78904,5751,143,145,144],"class_list":{"0":"post-162768","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-oakland","8":"tag-building-trades","9":"tag-nonprofit","10":"tag-oakland","11":"tag-oakland-headlines","12":"tag-oakland-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162768"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162768\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}