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Andre Barbour
Andre Barbour
Diversity and inclusion director, NEI General Contracting
Age: 34
Industry experience: 15 years
Andre Barbour brings construction job opportunities to the heart of Boston’s minority community. Barbour oversees NEI General Contracting’s year-old WORC2 (Workforce Opportunity Resource Center) Lab, located in Roxbury’s Nubian Square, which provides one-stop training and networking opportunities for construction jobs and advancement in the industry. Barbour’s background in workforce development stretches back 15 years including affordable housing developments by nonprofits such as Quincy-Geneva Housing Corp. and Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corp.
Q: Was there a model for the WORC2 Lab and what are the key components?
A: There’s really a need for a blended program. There are other programs that other general contractors and construction managers do that are limited in availability. Our intent with the WORC2 center was to ensure lasting, constant engagement through the years and over time. And in construction, relationships are very important. And we wanted to make sure we maintained engagement and kept offering courses, and make sure we get feedback from the subcontractors who come into our workshops. We do surveys, and that feedback is important.
Q: What do the surveys indicate about what the WORC2 target audience is looking for in guidance?
A: It was easy to identify a lot of the structural things for small contractors: the access to bonding, the access to capital, work-risk management, insurance. All those things were very high-priority for contractors in that growing phase.
Q: How can the WORC2 center help companies comply with Boston’s residency and minority participation requirements for construction projects?
A: The Boston Resident Jobs Policy was passed in 1983, and it got updated in 2017 with a new ordinance that increased the goals and introduced some sanctionable offenses for late payrolls and things like that. The labor market is already very scarce, and it has made it much harder to find those individuals. Contractors are all seeking trained individuals with some experience. How could we help supply our contractors as the general contractor, while also lifting them up and getting more folks on board and taking on more jobs? It won’t happen overnight. It’s going to be slow and steady, because whether you’re in a licensed trade or any skilled trade, there are only so many entry-level positions. Then we have to backfill as people work their way up.
Q: Why was Bartlett Place selected as the WORC2 center’s location?
A: Back in 2019 when we were starting to think about how we go about getting supportive services for our contractors, we needed this one constant space that’s local. We do a lot of affordable housing construction so we started to talk to some individuals. We were very intentional in choosing Roxbury as our location. We have a heavy focus on workers of color, diverse contractors and businesses and professions. The intention was if you bring that right to the heart of a community of color, it would get the most benefits. It’s easily accessible to Roxbury and also Mattapan and Dorchester and other communities of color via the bus lines that run right through Nubian Square. We have a number of program spaces, a large training room, and a small conference room. And we have computer workstations for job searching and online training.
Q: How do you spread the word about WORC2 Lab in the community?
A: The most effective approach is always to be a lasting presence in the community, whether you have a project or not. Whether we have a job in Roxbury or not, we’re going to be at things in Roxbury. We’ll be in Mattapan. That keeps you in the front of everyone’s mind. With that, folks can always keep an open line of communication. “Hey, I can give Andre a call.”
Q: Which trades have the hardest time filling positions in the current labor market?
A: The licensed trades are the hardest: the sheet metal workers, electrical, plumbing. Those were in very high demand before the pandemic and they are in increasing demand after. It’s always a struggle.
Barbour’s Five Favorite Sports Teams
- University of Alabama football
- Duke University basketball
- New England Patriots
- Boston Celtics
- Boston College football and basketball
