Recently, instructors at the Local 104 Bay Area Industry Training Fund attended SMART’s Bias and Belonging Train-the-Trainer program, and they never had to leave the area.
For the first time, the instructors of this training took it on the road, and Local 104 was the first stop. Twelve Local 104 instructors went through the program, which taught them how to bring the Bias and Belonging training to their membership.
On the first day, attendees went through the basic Bias and Belonging training, which is often conducted online. Nate Vennarucci, training coordinator for the Livermore Training Facility, has taken the online version, which he said was good — but he found it was better in person because more intimate conversations could take place.
At its core, the training raises self-awareness of implicit bias, or biases that lie deep in a person’s background. Implicit biases are ingrained in how a person was raised, in what part of the country they live and in the views of the people around them. In exploring these, there is no judgment, only enlightenment. The training isn’t meant to shame anyone or make people feel bad about how they feel or think. It was developed to help people empathize with others, understand their situations and approach challenges with compassion.
“It gives you more tools to make you self-aware. It helps you make fair, equitable decisions in your organization,” Vennarucci said. “Bias and Belonging can be presented to any member. It’s a topic that affects everyone in the workplace. It’s meant to be implemented on the apprentice level, but it will also be taught to staff and the business side of Local 104.”
On the second day, attendees were guided to create their own Bias and Belonging presentations, complete with interactive brain games and activities, to present to their apprentices and/or general membership. All presentations begin with the initial training, given by Tammy Meyen, ITI recruitment and retention specialist, and Dale Clark, ITI field representative and OSHA specialist.
“It created a different pool of presentations and resources. Every instructor had a great presentation,” Vennarucci said. “Everyone had a positive experience, even if it wasn’t what they expected. Everyone on the instructor level is open to education and thereby were open to this.”
Bias and Belonging training will be built into first-year apprenticeship curriculum at Local 104 starting at the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024.