[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 174 (Thursday, November 10, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BUILDING SKILLS PARTNERSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIMMY GOMEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 10, 2022

  Mr. GOMEZ. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor Building Skills 
Partnership (BSP) on 15 years of improving the quality of life of 
property service workers in low-wage industries, as well as their 
families and communities.
  BSP is a non-profIt organization founded with the vision of creating 
an equitable playing field for California's working families to succeed 
in their careers and educational endeavors. Born out of the Justice for 
Janitors movement that helped thousands of immigrant janitors achieve a 
more just way of living and working, BSP partnered with responsible 
businesses and employers to pilot its first workplace training, which 
focused on Vocational English language acquisition.
  BSP programs serve 5,500 participants annually and focus on workforce 
development, immigrant inclusion, and community advancement. The 
organization offers career and education programs that enable workers' 
personal and professional success. Today, BSP represents a unique 
partnership between over 90 janitorial employers, over 60 commercial 
building owners, the Service Employees International Union-United 
Service Workers West (SEIU-USWW), and the broader community. With 
collaboration and a holistic approach to programming, BSP continues to 
strive to create an equitable future for working families to build a 
better life.
  Thanks to BSP's dedication, BSP has expanded to seven major cities 
across California and broadened its programming to fully address the 
unique barriers immigrant janitors and their children face in realizing 
the benefits of social, civic, and economic integration.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring and 
celebrating the 15th anniversary of Building Skills Partnership.

                          ____________________