Cornerstone Craftsman gives youth the instruction, tools, and mentorship they need to enter the workforce and build a strong career in the trades.
It started with an epiphany. Founder Roberto Gomez realized his own difficult upbringing had shaped him into exactly the person who could help kids facing the same struggles. He began working with five young people at a time, bringing them into clients’ homes to help paint, doing the work for free while paying the kids out of his own pocket. Gomez hoped that if they associated earning money with hard work, they would stay focused on something good.
Today, Cornerstone Craftsman is a trades-based mentoring program in Alexandria serving low-income, disadvantaged youth ages 12 to 17. Students learn skilled trades, earn industry-recognized certifications, complete driving school, open their first bank accounts, and connect with registered apprenticeship programs, all while getting paid to learn. Two training centers support them: one for hands-on construction training, and another where tutors help with construction math and staying on track toward graduation or a GED.
Cornerstone currently serves 28 young people each year, with 57 more on the waitlist, a clear sign of the demand for this kind of opportunity.
The impact to date
Twenty-one students have graduated. Nineteen entered the workforce this year alone, seven are in registered apprenticeship programs, and eight have successfully exited the criminal justice system and stayed out.
One student was facing five years in juvenile prison when he started with Cornerstone. By his court date, the judge saw how far he’d come and thanked Roberto, saying, “If it wasn’t for you and your program, this kid would have been in prison.”
Another graduate faced real uncertainty about his family’s future as he turned 18. Cornerstone connected him with a registered apprenticeship program, and today he’s earning strong wages with full benefits, in a position to support the people who depend on him.
More than a technical trades program
Youth don’t just learn the trades. They build professionalism, communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and financial literacy, along with the confidence to succeed in the workforce.
Cornerstone partners with IBEW Local 26 through career fairs, training facility tours, and mentorship, a relationship that has helped students move into direct hire positions while they wait to enter apprenticeship programs. As Roberto puts it, Cornerstone Craftsman is sending reinforcements: motivated, qualified young people, many of whom would otherwise have no clear path forward, ready to become the next generation of skilled workers.
Expanding their impact
Looking ahead, Roberto hopes to expand enrollment and is working to establish Cornerstone as Virginia’s first recognized pre-apprenticeship model, while helping other communities build similar programs of their own.
Programs like these support the talent pipeline that Electrical Alliance members rely on and highlight the importance of industry partnerships. Together, we’re uplifting the electrical industry and creating lasting generational impact.
Learn more about Cornerstone Craftsman, or explore a career through the JATC.
