Building Future Potential

Hispanic workers work hard on moving up

Hispanic workers work hard on moving up

RISMEDIA, December 14, 2006-(MCT)-Look at any construction site and you will see a lot of Hispanic workers. But few are in management.

Jorge Mora is trying to change that. The construction company president and founder recruited three engineers from Colombia to train as management interns at his company, Magna Group in Henrico County.

Latinos don't have to prove themselves as laborers, Mora said. Their reputation in the construction trades is high, he said.

"We want American companies to believe in Latinos at another level. We want to tell them that the same level of commitment, quality and dedication exists at a professional level."

The two civil engineers and one industrial engineer will return to Colombia later this month after four months of training at Magna Group, which specializes in commercial and residential construction.

They will try to return to the U.S. on work visas or apply for jobs with American companies there.

Because the housing industry has cooled, the interns may have trouble finding permanent work and obtaining work visas, Mora said.

Even so, the work prospects with American companies in Colombia are promising. The interns will have an advantage with their knowledge of construction and the cultures of both countries, he said.

Intern Alberto Ramos, 27, said the three have been received like family, and workers have been generous with what they know. "We are like sponges and vacuums trying to suck all the knowledge, and to maximize our stay."

Recruit Yamith Marin Valenzuela, 28, a graduate of Escuela Colombia de Ingenieria, said he was struck by how much weather plays into construction plans here. In Colombia, the weather stays pretty much the same all year.

"That's why you don't see an effort to change some things in construction," he said. "Here, even for the smallest things, you are planning since January."

Jaime Andres Castellanos, 27, said Sheetrock and framing is new to him. In Colombia, construction is mostly concrete, cinderblock and brick.

"You get close, see the wood and say, 'will this really hold?'," he said about construction materials in the United States. "It's a fast construction system and very safe."

Mora piloted the program because he knows firsthand how hard it is to break into the construction trade as a professional.

He came to the U.S. from Colombia six years ago under an asylum program, and he is now a permanent resident.

Despite having degrees in engineering and finance, he had trouble convincing people that he had the skills for the job. His limited English did not help.

A construction company hired him as an estimator. He then was promoted to a financial manager.

He took construction courses at John Tyler Community College, and three years ago, he created a construction and building program in Spanish there. Hispanic students took classes in Spanish, while learning English at another college.

Mora left his teaching and program-managing job last year to start Magna Group.

Magna Group is working with the Colombian Association of Architects, Colombian Association of Engineers and La Universidad Colombiana de Ingenieria to recruit more engineers. A second group of recruits will arrive next month.

Candidates must be professionals between 25 to 30 years old, Mora said. "We are looking for people with experience but also with open minds."

The current bilingual interns receive training in technical construction language, supervision and management of construction projects and operations of the company.
Mora is not alone in getting more educated Hispanics in the construction trades.

The Home Builders Institute in Washington, Beazer Homes USA Inc. and Latinos on Fast Track formed a partnership to introduce Latino college students to careers in construction.

Twenty-five Latino students participated in internships at the building and mortgage company Beazer Homes' offices in Fairfax County and across the country.

David Reel, with the Home Building Association of Richmond, said training Hispanics to become managers seems like a natural step.

"Mora's program will help fill the need with qualified people," he said.

Reel said that construction is not seen by many people as a viable career, and some have the misconception that work is seasonal.

"In good times and slow times, there's always need for good workers," he said.

Copyright 2006, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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