Jackie Thrasivoulos
May 31, 2023
Young people of color are ready for journeyperson licensing and helping to build a better Boston
Boston, MA – May 31, 2023 — The Community Mentoring Team, expanding economic opportunities for young Black Bostonians, today announced that on June 3, 2023, it graduates the Class of 2023 electrician apprentices who have successfully completed a rigorous training program with Local IBEW 103. Comprised of 14 young Black and Brown Bostonians, this first cohort of Community Mentoring Team mentees committed to the IBEW’s 5-year program of on-the-job training and classroom education and is prepared for journeyperson IBEW licensing.
Community Mentoring Empowers Financial Equity
Community Mentoring Team (CMT) was founded in 2018 “by a group of Black men of faith who came together to carve a path to financial equity for young Black Bostonians,” said Bill Moran, founder and CEO of CMT. “We recognized that good-paying union jobs were a way towards achieving this goal and could help close the wealth gap that still exists between whites and Black people in Boston. It’s a paradigm we were determined to change. We created CMT to disrupt the status quo. Our mentorship program gives young people the support, financial and educational tools, and life skills they need to enter and complete apprenticeships in local unions.
We are enormously proud of the Class of 2023,” continued Moran. “This class proves that mentorship works, local unions are willing to embrace and support membership diversity, and that young people of color in Boston can succeed and contribute to the community when given the opportunity.”
The CMT Class of 2023 paves the way for future graduates by examples of hard work and dedication and through mentorship as well. “Many mentees in this first graduating class have already signed up to mentor those who follow them,” said Moran. “Our commitment to give back to the community is self-perpetuating, embracing more young people and increasing partnerships with more trade unions, businesses, and government.”
“Local 103 takes great pride in our partnership with CMT,” noted Lou Antonellis, Business Manager/Financial Secretary at IBEW Local 103. “The CMT Class of 2023 is an exceptional group of young men and women who strengthen our membership with their passion and drive while giving Greater Boston developers some of the best-trained electricians in the industry. These trailblazers are living proof of the value of collaboration and mentorship,” continued Antonellis. “Moreover, they are committed to Union values of economic opportunity and giving back to the community in which they live. I know they take great pride in helping build a better Boston – creating a legacy of achievement for all who follow.”
Currently, approximately 90 CMT mentees are engaged in apprenticeships in CMT’s growing partner network of specialty trades, which includes Empower DEI for Boston’s minority and women-owned electrical contractors, IBEW Local 103, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, Pile Drivers and Divers Local 56, Plumbers and Gas Fitters Local 12, Sheet Metal Workers Local 17, and Sprinkler Fitters Local 550.
View the latest IBEW video on CMT and learn about the people who are making a difference for young Black Bostonians.
About Community Mentoring Team
Founded in 2018, the Community Mentoring Team (CMT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit workforce development and mentorship program for Boston’s Black community. Through strategic and innovative partnerships with developers, contractors, labor unions, government officials, businesses, and community leaders, CMT provides career development, opportunities, tools, and construction linkages that fuel economic equity. Visit Community Mentoring Team. Follow Us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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Media Contact
Jackie Thrasivoulos
CMT Public Relations
508-380-6408
info@communitymentoringteam.com