“I want to succeed and be a role model for my daughter, and I will achieve it because Building Skills has my back”

When Ronald Lawyer, at the time 20 years old and working in the restaurant business for minimum wage, became a father he said, “suddenly my priorities shifted, I was motivated to earn more money which led me to explore the construction field”. He started as a laborer, working in demolition and helping masons install cement. However, the work was irregular and often featured an arduous, costly commute as Ronald worked from site to site across the boroughs. He recalls this time of his life as “extremely difficult but I had to keep working wherever I was sent to in order to keep my family afloat”.

In 2017, Ronald was connected with a representative from Building Skills NY and in just a few weeks, he was placed as a Mason Laborer in a site a few blocks from his home in the Bronx.  Building Skills worked very closely with Ronald and the mason subcontractor the first couple weeks to ensure a successful start to his employment. He says being close to home is a game changer because “not having to spend money on transportation allows me to have more money in my pocket to provide for my family”.

Ronald says the professionalism at Building Skills put him at ease during a very challenging time in his life. In just a few months Ronald was promoted to Brick Mason. He is eager to learn and hopes to keep growing in the construction field. “I want to succeed and be a role model for my daughter, and I will achieve it because Building Skills has my back”.