Our Mission at Blue Enterprises
We believe that every person interested in a career in the construction trades deserves the opportunity for equitable education, on-the-job training, and career advancement through certifications and other pathways, including construction registered apprenticeship. BLUE LLC, our non-profit, also known as a part of the BLUE Enterprises organization, steps up to support entrepreneurs that operate in the construction industry through a unique blend of training, talent identification and real-world experience.
Our Roots
Our non-profit, employer-led organization, BLUE, LCC, also known as a part of the BLUE Enterprises organization, was founded in March 2022 and is focused on training youth, filling skills gaps, and opening up real world environments through basic entry level training in trade areas of HVAC, electrical work, and construction/home repair.
BLUE, LLC stands for Building Louisville Untapped Entrepreneurs which will begin in Jefferson County, KY and expand with outreach to surrounding counties and other states in the years ahead.
We place great value on our youth and our first cohort class expected to launch by late 2022, “A Beginner Program to Becoming a Handyman,” will support the 17-25 year-olds looking for a new career path in Jefferson County, KY.
How to get involved?
AS A CONTRIBUTOR
- These types of programs are hand-on, and intensive training involving participation with professionals in construction fields, including plumbing, concrete, HVAC, welding and more. We need people like you to provide the resources, grants, and special allocations through sponsorship to make these programs happen.
- Please send email to: [email protected] regarding any resources, including your company, that may want to participate with us on our next cohort class through funding.
- We are also interested in equipment rental donations, and other direct participation through mentorship, and classroom instruction, if you are a certified professional retired or working currently in construction.
- Ask us about our construction apprenticeship pathways now forming with Jefferson Community Technical College (JCTC) in Jefferson County (Louisville, KY). We will also be expanding into other counties within Kentucky, and Indiana, in late 2023-2024, so let us know of your potential partnership.
AS A PARTICIPANT
We are offering opportunities through our new 12-week project, called How to Become a Handyman, for classroom learning and on-the-job training with our partner, Blue52 Properties.
The first cohort is anticipated to begin in the Fall of 2022. Please inquire here to learn more. We are looking for those aged 17-25 interested in participating to learn the construction trade for a possible career.
We work hand-in-hand in alliances with organizations like Jefferson Community Technical College, Louisville Central Community Center, and Louisville Urban League to assist you in finding resources, including underwriting for your education. All those living in Jefferson County and between 17 and 25 years of age are eligible to participate. We have limited class sizes for safety and training purposes, so when the first cohort opportunity is full, we will place you in another one, beginning in Spring or Summer 2023.
How We Assist Today’s Youth
As students exit high school, they begin to review possible construction career trade paths, and need to understand the entire life cycle of how they can build a stable future for themselves. As a non-profit, we do this through education in the core fundamentals that lead to entrepreneurship.
These include: the ins and outs of building and/or buying their first home, basic budgeting, and even learning how to invest in flipping homes, or other real estate transactions for maximum stability into their retirement years. We define this as everything from managing rentals to giving back to construct homeless shelters and more.
We contend that teaching a construction trade requires a full understanding of how to run a business from marketing through customer acquisition, so we assemble our projects with that in mind.
Why Focus on Construction Workforce Development?
According to Business Insider, the construction industry needs a “staggering 2.2 million more workers,” in the next three years, or 61,000 new workers per month, to keep up with industry demands. And it goes that competition for workers will also lead to price increases.
According to Contractor Magazine, some of this shortage is attributable to the fact that more than five million people over the age of 55 exited the labor force during the pandemic, and approximately 1.5 million of those chose to take early retirement. To remedy the shortage, industry associations are now scrambling to recruit and educate millennials and women for the construction trades.