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Program covers English, welding lessons while immigrants get on-the-job training(Omaha World-Herald (NE) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jan. 5--For years, Fred Amis funneled cash from his family foundation into established charities with history and tradition. Then the Omaha philanthropist had a change of heart. He wanted to see more direct results. Be hands on. Focus on urgent community concerns -- such as the integration of immigrants into their new homeland. It's an approach longtime friend and foundation board member John Sunderman fondly calls "full-contact philanthropy." Today that shift in strategy and foundation dollars is playing out at a steel company near downtown Omaha. And it is transforming the lives of immigrants like Ernesto Ali of Cuba and Octavio Zinzun of Mexico. "They give you something to start a new life," said Zinzun, 22. "Man, it is awesome." Now a year old, the project was designed to speed integration through English classes, on-the-job training and a permanent paycheck. The idea was hatched when foundation managers were re-evaluating their efforts while debate over illegal immigration was raging nationally and locally. Amis tapped another foundation, the Omaha Community Foundation, to conduct a needs assessment of immigrants. Language was identified as a top barrier to integration; employment surfaced as immigrants' No. 1 need. The pivotal "aha" moment came, Sunderman said, when he remarked how difficult it was to find and retain qualified welders at his place of employment, Paxton & Vierling Steel Co. It was decided that PVS would provide the place where immigrants could hone a craft. To prepare, they would take English and basic welding courses, earning a stipend for classroom time. Metropolitan Community College agreed to be a partner and to host the courses. Zinzun and Ali were among the first to graduate to full-time welding jobs. On a recent day, the two worked on the same crew, attaching pieces to iron beams that some day will hold up huge industrial buildings. Once they master a skill, trainees have a shot at advancing to more technical levels. Zinzun said he hardly could believe his luck when he was accepted as a participant. Getting paid to go to school and be trained for a career? He went from two labor-intensive jobs (one at a packing plant, the other landscaping) to a position that he said makes him feel dignified and appreciated. A $10-an-hour starting wage increased after a few months to $12. Higher-end welding positions have the potential to pay $18. "It's an opportunity for Hispanic people to make more money," said Ali, who has lived in the United States for 14 years. Zinzun, who never graduated from his Omaha high school, said limited English led to frustration. He said that his current supervisor's patience has eased any anxiousness over working with high-tech, industrial equipment. "They value quality," Zinzun said. "It's not all hurry, hurry, hurry . . . like at the packing plants." So far, nine immigrants have graduated from three months of English and welding courses to advance to full-time jobs. The foundation invests about $4,000 a person, Amis said. Three dropped out of the program, and another class is set to begin. Amis said he and his wife, Robyn, formed the family foundation in the mid-1990s, mainly with proceeds from selling his interest in the Sitel telemarketing company. Amis said he had a "small" part in co-founding the business. After a few more business ventures, Amis fed his passion for education and earned a master's degree to teach history at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His foundation, called the Amis Family Foundation, along with other philanthropists, established the UNO Islamic Studies Program. His recognition that fragmented societies are vulnerable to discord and destruction contributed to Amis' interest in integrating Omaha's older and newer communities. Patrick McNamara of the Omaha Community Foundation lauded Amis' effort to train immigrants in welding. "He's innovative, thinks outside the box, and always asks: What is the return on investment for his donations." The project also should pay off for the steel company, said Sunderman, noting that fewer young people are going into welding and other craftsman trades. Hiring prospects have become so limited that PVS a few years ago assembled a recruitment team. The retention rate of Amis graduates has exceeded the rate of recruits from elsewhere, Sunderman said. Make no mistake, though, he added, the recruits must perform. "This is not charity." Welders launch their career as part of a company more than a century old. Girders and beams originating at PVS, a division of Owen Industries, support such local landmarks as the Qwest Center, the Woodmen Tower, Union Pacific Corp. headquarters and bridges. "The guys that stay here and have been here a long time are proud of what they do," said foreman Jim Godfrey. The goal of Amis and the Omaha Community Foundation is to expand the program to other building trades. The hope is to forge partnerships with more businesses that, like PVS, would provide training and jobs. Amis is pleased with the tack, and thinks more of the same will lead to a stronger community. "We open the door to immigrants," he said. "They walk through it." --Contact the writer: 444-1224, [email protected] To see more of the Omaha World-Herald, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.omaha.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Omaha World-Herald, Neb. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. 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