M.A.P.P.: the route to family-sustaining wages

A conversation with program’s Executive Director, Kereem Berry

Sunrise Wind is helping fund the Multi-Craft Apprenticeship Preparation Program (M.A.P.P.), providing a path to family-sustaining careers and bringing diversity to the workforce that’s building New York’s new renewable energy industry. The program’s Executive Director, Kereem Berry, explains more.

The Multi-Craft Apprenticeship Preparation Program (M.A.P.P.) gives people experience in everything from carpentry to electrical work

They say life is built on second chances.  
At M.A.P.P., we focus on any chance. We bring a whole new demographic of people to the table – people who have been shut out for whatever reason, mostly based on race. That way, we can help unions increase their workforce while making them more equitable across the board. It’s a win-win for everybody.  
We work in Rochester and Albany. To join the program, you must be aged 18 to 40, have a high school diploma or equivalent, a valid driver’s license, a vehicle, and be able to pass a drug screening.  
Once you’re in, that’s when the magic really happens. We’ll bring you in, people who have zero experience with any type of tool whatsoever, and we’ll give you practical, hands-on experience with everything from regular hand tools like screwdrivers to power tools such as jackhammers. We’ll give you a little bit of carpentry, a little bit of masonry, a little bit of electrical work. We give people a touch of everything and let them see what they’re good at.

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"If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” At M.A.P.P., we say: if you teach a person a trade, you feed them for a lifetime.

M.A.P.P provides practical, hands-on experience for a future career in the trades

We teach you to be proud of what you do. As a crafts person, you want people to look at what you produced and say, who did that? That’s really good work.
When you’re in a union, you’re the controller of your own destiny. And to anyone who’s unaware of the union movement, we say: it’s about sharing wealth. Unions are about a living wage. You’re not going to get rich, but you’re going to be able to sustain your family.
We also encourage our apprentices to develop a strong commitment to their community. To give back what M.A.P.P. gave to them.