BUILD-ing A Partnership

Elaina Maldonado came through Step1 February 2021 and had been working incredibly hard to land full-time employment while navigating childcare and transportation challenges. After nearly two months of searching, we asked Elaina about a painting position with a new hiring partner, Anderson Painting – a living wage employer that provides transportation support to team members. Elaina was nervous to interview - she’d never been a painter before – but she enthusiastically said yes to giving it her best.

Elaina interviewed with Anderson Painting owner Nate Anderson in April. Elaina dressed in her best suit to meet Nate at the StepUp offices for her in-person interview. Anderson was so impressed by her skills and passion that they offered her an apprenticeship through the StepUp BUILD program.

After two weeks of apprenticing, Elaina was offered a permanent position and has been doing great work since. Elaina said of Anderson, “I love everyone I work with (and) I get to do lots of different tasks and am learning a lot!”

In addition to her employment success, Elaina will start her second phase of Step2 where she continues to grow her professional and financial skills. Elaina’s determination and hard work ensure that she will meet and exceed all her goals!

StepUp, also, is incredibly grateful for our partnership with Anderson Painting. Since hiring Elaina, Anderson Painting has interviewed and hired another four StepUp candidates! StepUp feels strong mission and vision overlap with Anderson Painting and looks forward to future StepUp hires with them.

To learn more about StepUp Durham’s Build apprenticeship program or how to become a StepUp employer, contact tim@stepupdurham.org.