The Arizona Department of Transportation has entered a partnership with a Tucson area tribe to form the Pascua Yaqui Reservation Tribal Employment Rights Organization Construction Academy.The Arizona Department of Transportation’s Construction Academy has trained 27 members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to work on road construction projects.
The academy graduates will work as flaggers and as general laborers on tribal construction projects.
The academy receives federal funding and is designed to help women and minorities enter construction careers. The academy helps participants move into apprenticeships. Other positions the academy provides training for include concrete finishers, block masons, highway surveyors, heavy equipment operators and commercial drivers.
The ADOT has received $112,000 in federal funding for the upcoming fiscal year to continue its workforce programs. The agency covers participants training costs and fees, as well as child care assistance, job-readiness training and provides safety gear, such as hard hats.
