Jircorey McCullough sums up his experience with BY Training with one word: excellent. Excellent quality, excellent follow-up, excellent results.

Jircorey learned about BY from a friend who found it on Facebook. A month later, he was attending classes at Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center on West Morris Street, where he discovered that he didn’t know as much about construction as he thought he did.

“They taught me so much,” Jircorey says. “I wasn’t that knowledgeable about tools. Now I understand the proper way to use the tools. The way I used the tools before, I would have hurt myself eventually. They really stressed safety.”

He earned the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 10 Hour Construction Safety and Health (OSHA-30) card, and also got hands-on experience building a deck. Because of his limited construction experience, he thought he might have trouble keeping up with the work, but the staff on site were patient and gave him plenty of pointers. And getting paid during training was a welcome bonus.

“I would advise anyone, if you don’t have much going on, you need to do this program,” Jircorey says. “They pay you for the training, and then help you find a job. What more can you ask for?”

Jircorey appreciated the interview preparation that BY provided. They taught him what questions to expect and how to better articulate his answers. After completing the program, Jircorey attended a BY hiring event, where he was hired by Tradesmen International to perform demolition and general construction. He started the job in May 2024. He hopes to work his way into a job where he can spend more time creating something new.

“I like building stuff,” Jircorey says. “You feel accomplished after you build something, and the customer is appreciative.” He dreams of even constructing a house one day from the ground up.

His future looks a lot different than it did a few months ago. Before the BY program, Jircorey had struggled to find a steady job. His experiences working in warehouses had been challenging, with constant pressure from supervisors. He also was going through a rough time personally. He thinks he’d still be in a hard place if not for BY.

But now he has work he enjoys, and which allows him to support his daughter, his sister and a niece and nephew.

“I would say that I’ve found my career,” Jircorey says. “I’m in the right place. I feel strongly about it.

Stories like Jircorey’s wouldn’t be possible without support from Lilly Endowment – Thank you!