Building Skills Ny

What Building Skills Ny does

Building Skills NY (BSNY) is a not-for-profit workforce development organization headquartered in New York City that connects residents of underserved communities to construction industry training and direct job placement with employer partners. Founded in or around 2018, the organization has facilitated more than 2,500 job placements over its operating history through community-based organization (CBO) referral pipelines and direct employer relationships spanning the five boroughs. The entity is led by Executive Director David Meade, employs a team of 1–10 staff, and operates without any disclosed venture capital, private equity, or parent company ownership.

The organization's core offerings include the Construction Career Accelerator (CCA), an advanced skills training program delivering NCCER Core and Electrical Level 1 certifications; a "Core Four Certifications" curriculum covering OSHA 30, Site Safety Training (SST), Supported Scaffold User, and Work Zone Flagger; FDNY Certificates of Fitness preparation (S-60, F-60, G-60, S-92, S-93/S-94); and a free HVAC Technical Skills Training program delivered in collaboration with local community colleges. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is relationship-based, with intake generated through referrals from named CBO partners (Commonpoint, Strive, Urban Upbound, Bronxworks, The Doe Fund, HOPE Program, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation) and placements sourced from a network of more than 150 employer partners including Premier Construction, Apex Building Group, Fifth Avenue Builders, Bletsas Plumbing & Heating, Glo Electric, and JM3.

BSNY operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded primarily through donations and annual fundraising events, most notably the Best of Building Skills NY gala which raised $200,000 at its October 2025 iteration at National Sawdust in Williamsburg. All training and placement services are fully subsidized at zero cost to participants. The organization reports an 80% placement rate for HVAC program graduates and a 70%+ year-over-year increase in placements in the first half of 2019 versus 2018, with the 500th worker placement milestone reached at an East New York construction site.

Name

Building Skills Ny

Legal name

Building Skills NY

Website

https://buildingskillsny.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Building Skills NY is a New York City nonprofit that connects residents of underserved communities to free construction trade training, industry-recognized certifications, and direct job placement with a network of more than 150 employer partners across the five boroughs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development and Construction Trades Training

NAICS

Apprenticeship Training (611513), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Development, Employment Readiness & Job Placement (BPADAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Incumbent Worker Training & Upskilling (EDAAAOAE), Construction (EDABALAF)

Keywords

• Workforce development services
• Construction trades training
• Job placement programs
• Industry certifications training
• Skilled trades apprenticeships

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Building Skills NY is a not-for-profit organization that operates primarily through charitable donations and an annual fundraiser (Best of Building Skills NY). The organization connects workers from underserved communities to advanced skills training and good-paying jobs at no cost to participants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Building Skills NY delivers free construction-skills training programs and job placement services that prepare New Yorkers from underserved communities for careers in the skilled trades. Its programs cover NCCER, OSHA 30, Site Safety Training, FDNY, and HVAC certifications, and graduates are placed directly with NYC construction employer partners who rely on BSNY for a qualified, certified local workforce pipeline.

Product overview

Building Skills NY is a not-for-profit workforce development organization offering a portfolio of construction training programs and job placement services. The core offerings include the Construction Career Accelerator (CCA) for advanced skills training with NCCER certifications, Core Four Certifications Training (OSHA 30, SST, Scaffold, Flagger), FDNY Certificates preparation, and HVAC Technical Skills Training. These programs are complemented by free job placement services connecting graduates with employer partners and ongoing career support. The organization also runs the Worker Stories content program and annual Best of Building Skills NY fundraiser event. All programs are designed to help New Yorkers from underserved communities enter and advance within the construction industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Construction Career Accelerator (CCA)

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 2,500 job placements since 2018
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation (CHLDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership since 2024 has helped dozens of job seekers earn industry-recognized credentials and land full-time construction jobs. CHLDC's Career and Education Programs Director and YouthBuild IGNITE Director accepted the Workforce Partner Award at the 2025 Best of Building Skills NY event.
• CommonpointcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Community-based organization that partnered with BSNY to deliver a no-cost training course in construction basics with continuation into specialized electrical trade instruction. Isaiah Robles was recruited through a Commonpoint flyer and enrolled in the Construction Career Accelerator program.
• The Doe FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization through which Howard Young, previously unemployed and living in a homeless shelter with his son, was referred to Building Skills NY. The Doe Fund connection helped him secure OSHA 30 training and a construction job.
• BronxworkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading boroughwide community support organization that referred Adalberto Alvarez to Building Skills NY for construction training and job placement in the electrical field.
• StrivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational leader in job placement, training and support that referred Michael Muir to Building Skills NY and connected Parrish West to the organization.
• Urban UpboundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization serving public housing residents and other low-income New Yorkers to break cycles of poverty. Referred Miguel Morales to Building Skills NY.
• HOPE ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development organization through which Latroy Ewell was connected to Building Skills NY, leading to his placement as a roofer.
• Local Community CollegesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilding Skills NY collaborates with local community colleges and fellow workforce development organizations to implement a free technical skills training program in High Efficiency HVAC, addressing the skills gap in the industry.
• LaGuardia Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdalberto Alvarez was enrolled in an electrical training program at LaGuardia Community College through the support of Building Skills NY.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing free tuition tech training and career placement for adults from underserved communities. Comparable operating model (free training, employer partnerships, alumni support) but focused on IT rather than construction trades.
• The HOPE Program: NYC-based workforce development nonprofit providing training and job placement across multiple industries to individuals facing barriers to employment. BSNY refers into and receives referrals from HOPE, and the two operate adjacent functions in the NYC workforce ecosystem.
• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing employment services to people returning from incarceration, with construction and skilled trades among its placement sectors. Operates a similar candidate-pipeline-plus-employer-partnership model in NYC.
• NPower: Nonprofit that delivers free technology training and job placement to military veterans and underserved young adults. Similar nonprofit workforce intermediary structure with strong employer partnerships and alumni support model.

Direct peers

• Helmets to Hardhats: National nonprofit that places transitioning military members into skilled construction trades. Directly comparable to BSNY as a construction-focused workforce development intermediary connecting candidates to employer hiring pipelines, though at national scale and veteran-focused.
• Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW): NYC-based nonprofit that trains and places women in skilled construction and building trades. Closely comparable model — CBO-style referral, free training, certifications, direct employer placement — with similar focus on underrepresented populations entering male-dominated trades.

Broad incumbents

• Year Up: Large national workforce development nonprofit providing training, credentials, and corporate placement to young adults from underserved communities. Operates a similar CBO-employer hybrid model at significantly larger scale across multiple industries.

Others

• JobsFirstNYC: NYC-based funder and intermediary supporting workforce development organizations serving disconnected young adults. Comparable ecosystem position rather than direct competitor — JobsFirstNYC often funds or partners with organizations like BSNY.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/buildskillsny
• Facebookfacebook.com/BuildSkillsNY
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/buildingskillsny

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Building Skills Ny