Pascua Yaqui corporation builds construction training center with federal grant
(photos via Pascua Yaqui Development Corporation)
The Pascua Yaqui reservation in southern Arizona
In the Tucson area, there is more construction work to be done than there is available manpower to do it.
For the Pascua Yaqui Development Corporation, an arm of the Tribal Nation that has a 2,200-acre reservation in southern Arizona and a community near Phoenix, the demand for trained construction workers presents an opportunity.
Daune Cardenas, a Pascua Yaqui tribal member who serves as the corporation's chief executive officer, is working to make the most of the economic opportunity.
“Our whole goal is to build a ‘Field of Dreams’ for construction training,” Cardenas said.
$4 million federal grant will fund construction training center
Daune Cardenas, CEO of the development corporation
Since the Pascua Yaqui Development Corporation won a $4 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the project is well on its way.
The nonprofit Local First Arizona helped the corporation apply for the grant through its Arizona Economic Resource Center.
The funding will create a hub for construction training that will cover the nuts and bolts for certifications but also incorporate leading-edge technologies for green building practices and infrastructure development.
It will be a space where workers can receive the ongoing safety training they need to remain certified, where contractors can post job opportunities and workers can pursue hands-on training on heavy equipment like a skid steer, a forklift, a hydro excavator or the highly-specialized equipment needed for broadband installation.
Creating good-paying jobs for young tribal members
Pascua Yaqui Development Corporation trainees
The way Cardenas sees it, the heavy equipment training is the next valuable step for the youngest members of the workforce, especially those who have already completed career and technical training at JTED, Tucson’s Joint Technical Education District.
“This is going to get these people who have learned the basics to go to the next level,” Cardenas said. “I also see a whole group of kids out there, like my daughter, that lost touch with school during the pandemic, and we need them. They’ve all got something to contribute. This will provide good jobs with good pay for those individuals that got lost.”
Cardenas sees a wealth of opportunity for the members of her Tribe, with an understanding that acquiring technical skills leads to greater employability for jobs that command higher salaries.
The median household income on the Pascua Yaqui reservation is about $25,000, she said. Jobs as heavy equipment operators start at around $56,000. Project management commands six figures.
“That’s where we want our tribal members to be. We want them to get an education without going into debt from student loans,” she said. “You don’t even have to get your pinky toe in the dirt. You just have to know how to run a project. We don’t have enough project managers out there right now.”
‘Something to help our community for seven generations’
For Cardenas, this workforce development initiative is personal. Not only is she a tribal member, but she has six kids.
Part of the training center
While one of her children is attending university, others have been drawn to technical training. The jobs that are available in construction, Cardenas said, not only pay well, but they allow individuals to work “normal” hours and support a family.
“There’s no way to oversaturate the market, there’s just too much work that has to get done,” she said. “We’re giving out good jobs, and it’s really affecting our community one person at a time. I can see it really making a difference.”
This new project comes with a long view, as is tradition, Cardenas said.
“We believe in doing something in our lifetime that’s going to help our community for seven generations,” she said.
The payoff of creating a workforce development space for the construction industry, Cardenas believes, will be felt for years to come.
“I expect it to be the hub for construction in Tucson,” she said. “That’s what I want to see, a hub for everyone. The beauty is, it was 100% grant. There was no match for EDA. They’ve really done a good thing for Tribes.”
Are you a rural Arizona town, Tribe or nonprofit?
Local First Arizona’s Economic Resource Center may be able to help you find millions of dollars in grant funding. Visit localfirstaz.com/economic-resource-center to learn more.
