• Posted: September 12, 2018
• better careers

For a company 100-plus years in the making, there isn’t a sector of the construction industry that F.H. Paschen hasn’t touched; but now, the company has a new passion much deeper than transforming city landscapes.

“We are trying to create the next generation of construction workers,” said Alan Osinski. “The trend within the industry is that we’re losing this next generation because the idea is that college is the only way to get into success or have a quality of life.”

Those at Paschen realize that the trades have become an aging workforce and there isn’t a steady stream of new applicants looking into the field. Whether due to an overall philosophy that college is the only way to achieve success or other factors, there’s a disconnect between young people and the information about the trades.

“I think more than anything, with the trades, it’s about getting the information to this young generation and supplying them with the path and what it looks likes,” said Osinski. “What are the steps to show these kids what they can do and how they can get there within the trades?”

Last summer, Paschen brought on two Chicago Public School interns out of the Dunbar vocational program that teaches certain trades to those in high school. In addition, Paschen has become involved with the Chicago CRED (Creating Real Economic Diversity) program by hiring Michael Reed.

CRED’s mission is to boost the lives of young men on the city’s south and west sides by giving them the tools and opportunities needed to succeed and escape troubled climates. Reed was hired through CRED and is now working on the 95th St. terminal improvement project, CTA’s largest investment, as a laborer.

“You don’t know what your path is going to be, yet he was given this opportunity through Paschen and now has a very rewarding job on a large project in a community that he’s familiar with and has been around,” said Osinski.

Reed is just one example of someone who’s been positively impacted by Paschen. Another is Irma Montiel, a 20-year worker who recently became a foreman and is working on the Midway Airport expansion project.

“This isn’t just a man’s profession,” said Osinski. “Women are critical to this industry and play an integral role in its successes.”

Dawson Technical Institute (DTI), established in 1968 as an academic job training center for construction technology careers, provides students with intensive and comprehensive construction trade and utility industry training. Paschen has recruited and hired several graduates of DTI’s Highway Construction Careers Training Program (HCCTP), a joint effort of the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois Community College Board to address the under representation of women and minorities in the highway construction industry.

Additionally, Paschen has been instrumental in the Mentoring a Girl in Construction (M.A.G.I.C.) Program, an annual one-day workshop designed to offer high school girls information about employment opportunities in the construction industry.

“We as a company recognize that we can have top-notch engineers and estimators who are getting us the work, but they don’t do the work,” said Osinski. “They’re not the ones physically out there doing the work and that’s become a shortage in the industry. We recognize that not as many young people are getting into it as they were 15 or 20 years ago. As an organization, we are committed to reversing that trend and developing the next generation of skilled laborers.”