We're building more than a trade school. We're building a bridge between untapped potential and life-changing careers — powered by Florida International University.
America faces a skilled trades crisis. Over 500,000 trade jobs sit unfilled while millions of capable, motivated individuals lack access to quality training, stable housing, and a clear pathway to a career. Traditional trade schools and apprenticeship programs address pieces of this puzzle — but nobody brings it all together.
TradeWorks Academy was founded on a simple premise: when you give someone housing, training, employment, and support — all together, in one place — everything changes. Retention rates soar. Employers get day-one-ready talent. Communities thrive.
Powered by Florida International University's NCCER-certified curriculum and supported by a coalition of workforce agencies, behavioral health providers, and employer partners, TradeWorks Academy is the bridge between untapped potential and a skilled trades career.
FIU Accredited
NCCER-Certified Curriculum Partner
<15%
Attrition rate for our model — compared to 50%+ industry average
85%+
Job placement rate within 90 days of program completion
$48K
Average starting wage for graduates
Our model addresses the whole person — because stability in one area without the others doesn't last.
Stable, furnished housing on our campus. No one succeeds while worrying about where they'll sleep tonight. Housing is the foundation everything else is built on.
NCCER-certified training from FIU instructors in electrical, plumbing, HVAC, carpentry, and welding. Industry-recognized credentials that employers trust.
Direct job placement with employer partners. 90-day retention support. Real careers, not just jobs. Average starting wage of $48K+ with benefits.
Financial literacy, savings programs, and career advancement tracking. We don't just place graduates — we set them up for lifelong financial independence.
TradeWorks Academy draws strength from institutional partnerships that bring decades of expertise to every aspect of our program.
FIU provides the NCCER-certified trade curriculum and instructors who deliver training inside correctional facilities and on our campus. A top-tier public research university with deep community roots.
Academic PartnerWith 35+ years of behavioral health expertise, Agape delivers Moral Recognition Therapy (MRT), mental health counseling, and substance use treatment — addressing root causes, not symptoms.
Behavioral Health PartnerVolunteers in Probation provides one-on-one mentorship starting 12 months before release. Building trust, accountability, and a personal reentry plan — so no one walks out alone.
Mentorship PartnerTwo women. Two lifetimes of expertise. One mission.
Policy Architect & Global Reentry Strategist
Over 35 years spanning federal law enforcement as a DEA Special Agent, international business development across Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and criminal justice reform. Fluent in five languages, she architects TradeWorks' legislative advocacy, government relations, and the wraparound support model that transforms system-involved men into career-ready tradesmen. She is also the driving force behind Tinkerbell's Kids, her 30-year nonprofit advancing landmark child-protection legislation.
Her global network of government and institutional relationships gives TradeWorks a policy-driven competitive moat no competitor can replicate — ensuring TradeWorks navigates the complex ecosystems that determine reentry funding, correctional partnerships, and workforce contracts at every level.
Luxury Construction & Revenue Architect
18 years of hands-on construction industry experience — spanning luxury residential design, commercial project management, crew leadership, estimating, and field operations across high-end markets. She has built and delivered complex projects where precision and craftsmanship are non-negotiable. Her philosophy: returning citizens, trained to an elite standard, become the most sought-after craftsmen in the industry.
At TradeWorks, Megan leads employer partnerships, branding, marketing, and housing design. She architects direct partnerships with construction firms who pay for priority access to elite graduates — generating revenue while solving the industry's worst labor crisis. Her long-term vision: scaling TradeWorks into the private equity space as a portfolio of workforce-integrated real estate assets.
Whether you're an employer, funder, community partner, or someone seeking a second chance — there's a place for you at TradeWorks Academy.
