Pride And Paychecks: East Orange Residents Train For Construction Jobs

EAST ORANGE, NJ — When Gerard Carey walks past a new apartment complex going up on Main Street in East Orange, he’ll be able to point to it and make a rewarding humble-brag: “I helped to build it.”

Carey is one of many East Orange residents who have been training for new careers in the construction industry through partnerships between the city and private companies. Job seekers such as Carey are getting hands-on experience working on projects in their own neighborhoods, while simultaneously earning the certifications and licenses they need to forge successful careers.

Carey, who graduated from the National Career Institute’s (NCI) General Construction/Laborers Training Program in 2022, is currently one of the workers employed on the Hue Soul redevelopment project at 431 Main Street. Once home to the iconic East Orange Diner and former Soul Food Factory, the property is now being transformed into a 116-unit apartment building.

It’s more than a job, Carey said – it’s a source of pride.

“You see how the world really works through construction,” he said. “I’m proud to have an opportunity to be a part of this project and have my family or my kids walk by and know that I was involved in rebuilding East Orange and making a change.”

Another resident recently hired to work on the Hue Soul project, Carl Ward, completed the HVAC Training Program at NCI on his own and began looking for work, eventually reaching out to the city’s Mayor’s Office of Employment and Training (MOET).

Ward said he never visualized himself in construction. Now, he says, he can see it clearly – and his sights are set high.

“I would love to be a project manager, running a project like this,” Ward enthused.

The success stories involving Carey and Ward are just a few of those coming out of East Orange, where a huge development boom has been taking place in Essex County’s second-largest city.

Last year, nearly 500 young people notched some hands-on job experience through the city’s MOET program, East Orange Mayor Ted Green pointed out in a recent video that highlights some recent local development projects.

East Orange officials recently announced yet another milestone: six new training programs that will be launched under the city’s Rising Builders Program.

The public-private partnership between the city and Triangle Equities – developer of The Crossings at Brick Church Station – aims to help local residents get “workforce ready” for construction, logistics, transportation, maintenance, green energy and other in-demand industries.

Free training and professional certificates will be offered in the following:

• FORKLIFT OPERATOR OSHA-10
• FORKLIFT OPERATOR HAZWOPER/OSHA-10
• GENERAL CONSTRUCTION/MAINTENANCE
• COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSE (CDL)
• COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSE (CDL) TANK VEHICLE/HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
• BLACK SEAL NJ BOILER OPERATOR

An orientation session will be held in preparation for the training programs, which will begin this fall. To register to receive information on the orientation session and other upcoming events, complete the survey at tinyurl.com/eotrainingsurvey.

“We are committed to making connections between our residents and industry leaders, and community partners to providing extensive training and hands-on experience, and positioning our participants for immediate employment and long-term career growth,” Green said.

David Sharp, who runs the city’s MOET program, said he is proud to hear about success stories like Carey and Ward, which align with the mayor’s mantra for local hiring: “Made for us, built by us.”

For more information about local job training opportunities, contact Sharp at david.sharp@eastorange-nj.gov.

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