ORLANDO -- There is good news and bad news when it comes to Central Florida's unemployment rate.

The good news is that newly-released numbers for September show that the rate didn't change much from August. The bad news is those numbers are still at near 15-year highs.

But not everyone is discouraged. Workforce Central Florida's first graduating class of its core constructing training ishoping they now have what they need to get a job.

"This class teaches you the tools, safety, the regulation and how to do the job," said Ronnie Harris, a graduate of the class, and a 16-year construction veteran.

It has been two years since Harris has been able to find work in construction.

"There were a couple of jobs that came up that I was already skilled for, but I couldn't get it. I had to wait until I got the certificate and finished the class," Harris said.

Completing the 4-week course not only taught the students basic construction skills, but also made them OSHA-certified.
But the graduates are entering into a very tough industry. According to Workforce Central Florida, construction jobs had the greatest loss of jobs in the past 12 months with 6,700 jobs lost -- a drop of 8 percent.

However, there is one bright spot in the construction industry
"There are some areas that are not quite so slow. I mean, the commercial construction is still going pretty strong even though residential may be down," said Gary Earl, the chief executive officer of Workforce Central Florida.

The class is designed to get the students ready for commercial construction, something that will come in hand with the major projects coming to Orlando like renovation at the Citrus Bowl and the new performing arts center. Experts believe these projects will mean jobs for 3,000 to 4,000 people, and these graduates hope they'll make it to the top of the list.

"Hopefully Monday morning I'll be out looking for a job," said Osmond Thomas.

The unemployment rate for the Orlando area is about 6.4 percent, a bit lower than the statewide average of 6.6 percent.

Workforce Graduates Trained In Construction - Central Florida News 13