ABOVE: Participants in the 2026 Baltimore Summer Raising the Bar program at their Aug. 28 graduation ceremony. Photo: Michael Blain
In a powerful demonstration of workforce development success, 18 out of 19 graduates of the recent summer cohort of Baltimore’s Raising the Bar (RTB) pre-apprenticeship program were placed into union jobs or apprenticeships within weeks of graduation.
Out of nearly 800 people who initially registered for information sessions about the summer Raising the Bar program, a class of 20 was selected, with 19 completing the six-week course and earning industry-recognized credentials. Eighteen of those graduates were accepted into building trades unions — either as apprentices or through union helper step-up programs — and placed on active job sites with union contractors across the region less than three weeks after their August 2026 graduation.
Highlighting the significance of this milestone, Beli Acharya, Executive Director of the Construction Trades Workforce Initiative (CTWI), noted that this represented the program’s “strongest placement” to date.
Acharya also emphasized how entering these union pre-apprenticeship pathways positions graduates for long-term career success: “Typically, when they get accepted into a helper step-up program, the chances of them getting into a bonafide apprenticeship program is much higher.”
“People are beginning to see,” she added, “that they don’t have to choose between a good career and avoiding debt. Union apprenticeships allow individuals to earn while they learn and build a stable future.”
Kai Thomson, 2026 Raising the Bar Baltimore graduate Photo: Michael Blain
“My experience was great. I enjoyed everybody, I enjoyed making the connections. I learned a lot…They opened a lot of doors for me and they helped me change my life.”
– Kai Thompson, 2026 Raising the Bar Baltimore graduate &
member of SMART Local 100
“My experience was great. I enjoyed everybody, I enjoyed making the connections. I learned a lot…They opened a lot of doors for me and they helped me change my life.”
– Kai Thompson, 2026 Raising the Bar Baltimore graduate &
member of SMART Local 100
Raising the Bar is a free, six-week pre-apprenticeship program offerered by the Baltimore-D.C. Metro Building Trades Council in partnership with CTWI. Operating across Baltimore, Prince George’s County, and Washington, D.C., the program equips participants with hands-on construction training delivered directly by union apprenticeship programs. Participants complete over 40 hours of intensive construction math preparation, soft skills and interview training, site visits, and earn valuable industry certifications, including OSHA 10, First Aid/CPR, and the Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3).
“My experience was great. I enjoyed everybody, I enjoyed making the connections. I learned a lot,” said former truck driver and recent RTB graduate Kai Thompson, as he reflected on how the program transformed his career path before securing a position as a union sheet metal worker helper with SMART Local 100.
“They opened a lot of doors for me and they helped me change my life,” he added. “If I could, I would do it all over again.”
The cohort’s placement success comes amid an unprecedented surge in public interest in the Raising the Bar program. So far in 2026, more than 2700 people have registered for program information sessions, overflowing in-person venues and, in some cases, hitting virtual meeting capacities almost instantly. This surge reflects a growing regional awareness that union pre-apprenticeships offer a gateway to debt-free, stable, family-sustaining careers.
“The program was important because it served its purpose, which was to make sure that I was ready to start my career in the union,” said RTB graduate Tiffany Scott, is now an IBEW Local 24 in their helper program, Kai is a helper with bowers and says she will be starting the apprenticeship program in February 2027.
“Raising the Bar showed us the way,” she said, “but it was up to us to put in the work and take those steps to walk through the doors of opportunity.”
Growing interest in the pre-apprenticeship program is matched by a historic spike in applications to local union apprenticeship programs across the Mid-Atlantic.
Driven by major regional infrastructure projects — such as the Frederick Douglass Tunnel and the Key Bridge rebuild — alongside a booming data center construction sector, regional unions are experiencing record applicant volumes.
For example, Plumbers & Steamfitters UA Local 486 saw applicant numbers triple from 450 to over 1,300 in two years, while IBEW Local 24 is on track for 2,800 applicants in 2026. Many applicants say they increasingly view the skilled trades as a future-proof career path shielded from AI automation and office layoffs.
Underscoring the broader economic impact of the program, Elaine Carroll, Program Manager for Climate and Infrastructure at the Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative, stated that her program “is proud to partner with CTWI, funding skills training and supportive services for Baltimore City participants.”
Since early 2025, she added, CTWI has filled “a critical gap in Baltimore’s workforce system by building strong relationships with local unions and placing city residents directly into union apprenticeships and helper roles. Outcome data we track from CTWI shows a consistently high apprenticeship placement rate”.
“The Raising the Bar program has not only assisted me with my personal goals, said Baltimore native Christian Allen, who graduating from Raising the Bar into job working on the Amtrak Frederick Douglass Tunnel project,it’s given us resources, removed the barriers and elevated us all… ”
“It’s a six-week program,” he added, “designed to push you forward and get you elevated in the unions, and it’s phenomenal.”
Data from CTWI’s 2026 workforce impact metrics highlights the program’s reach and inclusivity: 98% of participants are minorities, and women represent 29% of cohort enrollees. Over the past two years, Raising the Bar graduates have been placed across 16 different skilled trades, with an average starting wage of $23.00 per hour.
“The Raising the Bar program has not only assisted me with my personal goals, it’s given us resources, removed the barriers and elevated us all.”
– Christian Allen, 2026 Raising the Bar Baltimore graduate
“The Raising the Bar program has not only assisted me with my personal goals, it’s given us resources, removed the barriers and elevated us all.”
– Christian Allen, 2026 Raising the Bar Baltimore graduate
“The Raising the Bar program has not only assisted me with my personal goals,” said Baltimore native Christian Allen, who graduating from Raising the Bar into job working on the Amtrak Frederick Douglass Tunnel project, “it’s given us resources, removed the barriers and elevated us all… ”
“It’s a six-week program,” he added, “designed to push you forward and get you elevated in the unions, and it’s phenomenal.”
Data from CTWI’s 2026 workforce impact metrics highlights the program’s reach and inclusivity: 98% of participants are minorities, and women represent 29% of cohort enrollees. Over the past two years, Raising the Bar graduates have been placed across 16 different skilled trades, with an average starting wage of $23.00 per hour.