Central Washington Nonprofit Formed to Create Regional Apprenticeship Readiness Program

November 14, 2023

RICHLAND, Wash. – A new Tri-Cities-based nonprofit will create an accredited pre-apprenticeship training program to generate opportunities in the building trades industry for low-income and historically underserved central Washington populations, including women and minorities.

The Central Washington Building Pathways nonprofit aims to build a new and diverse talent pipeline by ensuring individuals are prepared and successful in formal apprenticeships to replace an aging construction workforce and meet the region’s labor demands.

The nonprofit’s inaugural board meeting was Nov. 13 at 2 p.m., the first day of National Apprenticeship Week. Founding directors of the board include:

  • Nickolas Bumpaous, President of the Central Washington Building Trades Council
  • Karl Dye, President and CEO of TRIDEC
  • John Eschenberg, Sr. Vice President for Amentum and President of Central Plateau Cleanup Company
  • Greg Gales, Treasurer of the Central Washington Building Trades Council
  • Kolby Hanson, Business Manager at SMART Local 55
  • Rick Holmes, Vit Plant Site Director and General Manager at the Waste Treatment Completion Company,a subcontractor to Bechtel
  • Diahann Howard, Executive Director of Port of Benton and Acting Director of VERTical
  • William Hughes, Business Representative at UA Local 598
  • Travis Swayze, Business Manager at IBEW 112

The 14 Union Affiliates of the Central Washington Building Trades Council led the effort to establish the nonprofit with support from many regional partners, including the VERTical innovation cluster, which works to solve national workforce and other challenges impeding the widescale deployment of next-generation nuclear and other advanced clean energy technologies.

About the Central Washington Building Trades Council
The Central Washington Building Trades Council represents the 14 Affiliated Unions of North America’s Building Trades Union acting on behalf of affiliated labor organizations and their membership in the legislative, regulatory and judicial spheres on matters of wages, employment benefits, including unemployment and worker’s compensation, and environmental conditions affecting work, home and community.

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Contact

Nickolas Bumpaous
President of Central Washington Building Trades Council
509-539-7917
president@cwbctc.org

Summers Miya
Port of Benton PIO
509-375-3060
summers@portofbenton.com

Waynette Roberson

Waynette Roberson is CPCCo’s Director of Mission Assurance & Optimization. With more than 30 years of experience in the nuclear and manufacturing sectors, she leads initiatives to align CPCCo’s goals with a strong nuclear safety culture.

Previously, Waynette was the Chief Performance Assurance Officer at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, where she designed the Performance Assurance Organization and developed the Performance Assurance Program. Her career roles focusing on performance assurance, quality management and regulatory compliance with several companies across the DOE complex and internationally.

She holds a master’s degree in business and organizational communication and a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering technology from Murray State University. Certified as an NQA-1 Lead Auditor, Waynette excels in performance and quality assurance, incident investigation and root-cause analysis.