Green job training!
The mission of MOBU Enterprises Foundation is two-fold: to train veterans, formerly incarcerated people and legal immigrants for high paying jobs in the green construction industry and to turn forgotten shipping containers into attractive contemporary homes and commercial structures.
“The three populations have similar challenges of trying to fit into society,” says co-founder Jessica Lewis. “Military personnel often have difficulty re-entering the civilian world where, sadly, they are not always welcomed. Formerly incarcerated people want to earn a living and support themselves so they can remain out of prison, and immigrants (with Green Cards) are trying to understand our culture and figure out how they fit in.”
MOBU Enterprises on the Upper West Side of Atlanta launched its nonprofit three years ago and began partnering with the Georgia Department of Corrections, veterans’ programs and organizations that support immigrants. The groups forward lists of people who already have some skill sets in the industry so they can be assessed.
Participants are paid at least $15 per hour and start on a career track that can include attendance at a trade school and mentoring by industry professionals. For those wanting to become entrepreneurs, MOBU helps secure their LLCs.
With the completion of a new warehouse, Lewis and co-founder Ibrahim Smith will soon be able to work with 200 students on prefabricated structures inside the building, then installing them on site in less than a month’s time.
MOBU ENTERPRISES FOUNDATION
mobufoundation.org
@mobu_enterprises_foundation
