A new trade school tucked inside Esperanza's North Philadelphia campus is offering something rare in today's economy: completely free training in welding, HVAC, plumbing, and facility maintenance, with no experience required. Esperanza Tec Centro Philadelphia opened its doors to its first students in July, housed in a more than 14,000-square-foot facility at the corner of North Fifth and West Bristol streets in Hunting Park.
The center is a three-way partnership between Esperanza, the Tec Centro Workforce Network, and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, according to Esperanza. It marks the seventh site in the statewide Tec Centro network and is also Thaddeus Stevens College's first outpost in Philadelphia, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Lancaster-based college, whose main campus runs two-year associate's tracks in trades and technology, is sending faculty and curriculum to Philadelphia because its main campus programs are at capacity and its short-term programs carry waiting lists, the Inquirer reports.
Four Tracks, Twelve Seats Each
Programs are open to Philadelphia-area adults 18 and older, and no prior training is required, per Esperanza's announcement. The four tracks — metals fabrication and welding technology, commercial-industrial HVAC, commercial-industrial plumbing, and facility maintenance technology — each hold room for 12 students per six-month session, according to the Inquirer's reporting. The current cohort, which started in July, is scheduled to wrap up in December.
Each program runs roughly 400 hours of classroom and hands-on instruction over six months, and it is completely free to eligible participants who are accepted, per Impacto. The outlet notes English as a Second Language courses and GED preparation are also available for participants who need additional support, and the Inquirer adds that the program is aimed at people who are currently unemployed or underemployed. Thaddeus Stevens College says participants also have access to adult basic education and workforce readiness support alongside the technical instruction, and program officials want to eventually add evening or weekend instruction, the Inquirer reports.
A $4 Million Building, a $2 Million Annual Budget
Standing up the center wasn't cheap. Construction of the training facility — which includes a computer lab, welding stations, and a drafting room — cost $4 million, funded with state dollars through the Tec Centro Workforce Network, according to the Inquirer. The program's first-year operating costs run roughly $2 million, per the Inquirer's reporting, which attributes that figure to Esperanza's Danny Cortés.
Esperanza itself, founded in 1986, employs 680 people and works across education, workforce development, immigration, and housing, the Inquirer notes. Thaddeus Stevens College provides curriculum, faculty, and program leadership for the trades training program, per the Inquirer. Karina Ramirez now leads the center as director, according to Esperanza's announcement of her appointment.
Students Betting On Career Changes
Among the first cohort is 32-year-old Andre Rodriguez, who grew up in Kensington and is training in metals fabrication and welding, per the Inquirer. He plans to pursue an apprenticeship with Navy Yard shipbuilder Hanwha, which is expanding its hiring amid demand for skilled workers, the Inquirer reports.
Among the first cohort is 32-year-old Andre Rodriguez, who grew up in Kensington and is training in metals fabrication and welding, per the Inquirer. He plans to pursue an apprenticeship with Navy Yard shipbuilder Hanwha, which is expanding its hiring amid demand for skilled workers, the Inquirer reports. Judith Ghebremichael, 53, is also enrolled. She immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia at age 5, graduated from Temple University in 2007, and spent roughly 20 years working in social work before deciding to retrain, according to the Inquirer. She now commutes 45 minutes by car from Delaware County to attend classes and works as a bartender while completing the program. Ghebremichael told the Inquirer she expects welding could pay triple what she earned in social work. The program is designed to prepare students for work in the trades.
A Shipyard Boom and a Shaky Job Market
The timing lines up with a wave of regional hiring tied to shipbuilding, warehousing, and development at the Port of Philadelphia, Impacto reports. Hanwha Philly Shipyard alone plans to add up to 10,000 jobs in South Philadelphia, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal. Welding is among the trades the center is preparing students to enter.
Local workforce efforts include training in welding and other trades.
Esperanza Tec Centro Philadelphia isn't the only local effort betting on the trades to bridge that gap. The Skills Initiative at the Navy Yard, working with Hanwha Philly Shipyard, has launched its own Welder B program that pairs classroom instruction with hands-on welding training and weekly stipends, according to the Navy Yard. The Welder B program is another local effort to prepare workers for shipyard jobs. Philadelphia Works, the city's workforce development board, is also involved in local job training.
