SPRINGFIELD — When he was in the ninth grade, Noel Padilla, now 20, said he dropped out of high school and moved from Springfield to Florida with his family.
He worked in fast food and thought his life had stalled.
“It was a rocky situation. I didn’t have no one to keep me on the straightforward path, school-wise,” he told The Republican.
Padilla has since returned to Springfield, earned his carpentry certificate at the Connecticut River Valley YouthBuild program and said he has been hired to remodel homes with a local contractor.
Padilla even delivered a speech to fellow classmates and officials at the program’s recent graduation ceremony.
“I’m excited and proud because it shows myself and my family, I can do it and I’m becoming a man. I’m trying to structure my life into where I can eventually own my own business and have generational wealth for myself and my family.”
Padilla was one of 26 graduates of YouthBuild, which is operated by the New North Citizens’ Council. The program runs for eight months, beginning in the fall. There has been a class of graduates each of the last four years. They’re called trainees, not students, because they’re not attending a school, said chief of programs, Isaiah Delmoral.
“We don’t use the term student because it has a negative, institutionalized connotation. They didn’t succeed in the traditional school setting for a reason. They were students and 95% of them dropped out,” said Delmoral.
Most of the trainees come from Western Massachusetts and are between 16 and 24 years old. If they don’t have a high school degree, they are required to earn their HiSET equivalency at YouthBuild before moving to one of the organization’s two certificate programs in construction or health care. The training qualifies graduates for entry level jobs.
Students pursue a certified nursing track at Springfield Technical Community College where they also receive hands-on training. STCC is a New North partner.
Construction trainees develop their skills at YouthBuild in a large, classroom-style workshop equipped with a range of power tools along with the basics, like hammers and nails.
“We expose them to a little bit of everything,” said Amanda Hanley, director of Workforce Development.
“We have a shop where they learn how to use power tools safely, how to use hand tools and measure things. We build mockups, so they’ll frame a wall and learn how to raise it safely,” she continued.
Construction trainees apply what they’ve learned by working on carpentry projects at New North offices or for nonprofit partners such as Habitat for Humanity, which builds housing for people in need or Christina’s House, a women’s shelter in Springfield.
Before they are accepted into the program, applicants must demonstrate their potential and desire to succeed through team building exercises, games and competitions.
“We have a challenge where you have to write out directions to building a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” said Hanley.
New North Citizens Council Chief of programs Isaiah Delmoral and Amanda Hanley, director of Workforce Development. (Staasi Heropoulos / Special to The Republican)(Staasi Heropoulos / Special to The Republican)
While the challenges can be fun or silly, they get to the core of whether trainees have the dedication and drive to succeed.
“We want them to take ownership of their destiny and future. We want them to understand they’re coming to a workforce readiness program and it’s going to require their buy-in,” said Delmoral.
YouthBuild operates on a half million-dollar budget funded by federal, state and county grants. The program uses teachers, mentors, caseworkers and a mental health counsellor to help the young men and women succeed.
Once they graduate, trainees receive assistance with everything from resume writing and interview skills to getting a job—but even before that, from the first day of the program, the staff helps trainees who need basic subsistence like food, housing and transportation.
“It’s hard to focus if you don’t have food in your stomach, or if you’re sleeping in your car, that’s not a good night’s rest. We try to make sure we’re connecting them with food, a safe place to go and other resources. We are getting rid of the barriers to success,” said Hanley.
Devon Marmol measures wood at the YouthBuild program where he received his construction certificate. (Staasi Heropoulos / Special to The Republican)Staasi Heropoulos / Special to The Republican)
When Padilla was delivering his “commencement” speech, at times he was looking at his uncle, Devon Marmol, who is also 20 and graduated from the program — in fact, they spurred each other along.
“He inspired me because there was many times I wanted to stop coming to the program and he motivated me. He kept pushing me to come and I passed,” said Marmol.
Marmol said he attended five different high schools as his family moved throughout the Pioneer Valley. He finally quit school when he was a junior and got a job serving fast food.
He said he’s feeling better about his future after graduating with a construction certificate — he now hopes to become an electrician.
“Getting a job would make me feel like I’m doing what I have to do,” he said. “It’s going to boost me.”
