The Union Revitalization
Minority Advancement Program (URMAP) is a pre-apprenticeship model created and
developed by Marketing Consultants Unlimited (MCU) of Decatur, IL in 2007. URMAP was
brought about because of the vision of two men, Melvin Little, MCU and Jay
Dunn, former President of the Decatur Building & Construction Trades and
Union Certified Electrician. These two men came together with the concept
to bridge a gap between minorities and those less fortunate with the
Unions by gaining
access to the Union trades through proper knowledge and training. This
vision became a reality and is now a successful pre-training vehicle for 16
different Union construction trades. The purpose of the program is to
increase job training opportunities and access to building construction employment.
Not only was URMAP designed specifically for Union construction trades but also
to meet Section 3 compliance for federal projects. The program enhances retention support in
order to ensure participants can maintain employment, which will directly
contribute to local economic and community development.
Eligibility for the URMAP program is for multiple barrier minorities,
regardless of race or gender, who fall into categories, such as:
- Low to Moderate
Income*
- Low Work Skills
- Unemployed
- Ex-Offenders*
- Handicapped
- Homeless*
Some of our participants are
recommended through partner social service agencies, who work directly with these
hard to serve populations. A series of community wide recruitment
sessions are also held to encourage participation and spread the word of the
URMAP program. There is no cost to enter the program.
URMAP Statistics:
(The following does not include the current statistics
for the 2010-2011 sessions in progress)
- Total
program participants - 211
- Male
- 166
- Female
- 45
- African
American - 187
- Caucasian
- 22
- Hispanic
-3
- Ex-
Offenders - 87
- Long
Term Unemployed - 37
- Homeless
- 28
- At or
below 30% Area Median Income (AMI) - 66
- Number
completing basic URMAP program- 67
- Number
of applications to Union Apprenticeship Programs- 62
- Number
of Apprentices - 17
- Number
Journey-Level Status - 4
- Number
employed with Union Contractors – 9
- Number
obtained Non-Union/General Employment – 40
URMAP is proud to serve the following
communities: - Chicago, IL
- Peoria, IL
- Rockford, IL
- Decatur, IL
Multiple
locations throughout Illinois are now discussing the option to adopt this
model!
Springfield, IL East St Louis, IL For More information on URMAP
or how to bring this program to your community you can contact our main office
at (217) 706-7900.
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