The following is news from the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority:
The Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority (GHURA) is proud to announce that nine (9) of its employees recently completed the Guam Registered Apprenticeship Program (GRAP) at the Guam Community College. Graduation date is set for May 14, 2021. Seven (7) GHURA employees completed Office Manager Services program and two (2) completed Building Maintenance Repairer program. GRAP is certified by the US Department of Labor. This brings the grand total of GHURA employees who have completed the GRAP to 27. The breakdown of graduates since 2012 are as follows: 14 completed the Building Maintenance Repairer program, 12 completed the Office Manager Services program, and 1 completed the Electrical program.
“I am so proud of my nine apprentices who committed many hours of their personal time to obtain this nationally recognized certification. It is not easy to have a full-time job at GHURA, in most cases raise a family, and then take courses during your personal time with the goal of doing better in your respective professional capacities. In most instances, it takes 2 years to complete the apprenticeship program. This type of commitment is indicative of the work culture here at the housing authority. I want to personally thank my team for their dedication but just as important the families for allowing their loved ones to go to school with the hope of a better future”, says GHURA Executive Director Ray Topasna. “Collectively, 26% of our workforce are apprentices of GCC, 34% of our staff have some nationally recognized certification, and as many as 163 housing industry certifications have been issued to various GHURA staff over the years. As well, we are scheduled to bring out certified trainers next week for even more training so we anticipate as many as 55 additional certifications will be issued to our GHURA workforce," added Topasna.
A list of key certifications of GHURA staff are as follows:
Nationally Recognized Certifications
Professional Engineer (PE, Mechanical), Green Associate Leadership in Engineering/Environmental Design (LEED), System Commissioning Agent for American Society for Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Certified Public Accountant- 4 ea., Certified Government Financial Manager, Certified Government Bookkeeper, Certified Management Accountant, Senior Professional in Human Resources (PHR), Professional in Human Resources (PHR), SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SCP), SHRM Certified Professional (CP), US DOL Graduate Apprentice (Building Maintenance, Repairer) – 14 ea., US DOL Graduate Apprentice (Office Manager Services) – 12 ea., and US DOL Graduate Apprentice (Electrical)
Housing Industry Related Certifications Public Housing Maintenance Certification – 8 ea., Family Self Sufficiency – 10 ea., Public Housing Customer Service Certification – 37 ea., Public Housing Occupancy Certification – 17 ea., Housing Quality Standards – 6 ea., Housing Choice Voucher Specialist – 18 ea., Housing Choice Voucher Executive – 6 ea., Public Housing Manager Certification – 14 ea., Public Housing Assessment Certification – 11 ea., Uniform Physical Condition Standards Certification – 15 ea., Housing Choice Voucher Certified Specialist- 13 ea., and Housing Quality Standards Specialist – 5 ea.
