For Lester Aviles, construction work has become more than just a way to earn a living. It has been a path toward stability, dignity and hope, one he discovered through Catholic Charities of Washington’s Pre-Apprenticeship Green Construction Program.
Aviles, 42, originally from Managua, Nicaragua, has lived in the Washington metropolitan area for 20 years. Married for seven years and the father of two children, he admits steady work was not always easy to find.
“Yes, it has been difficult to find work,” he said.
That changed when his wife encouraged him to apply to Catholic Charities’ training program, which prepares participants for jobs in the construction trades by combining classroom instruction with hands-on training. Aviles completed both the construction and electrical courses, graduating on May 31, 2025, with five industry-recognized certifications, including OSHA-10, Flagman, CPR, NCCER Core and Electrician Level 1.
“If I’m not mistaken, it took about five months,” Aviles said of the program. “The experience was interesting because I got to work with good instructors and learned the basic concepts of essential tools. Both the theory and the practice were valuable.”
Of his certifications, Aviles is most proud of earning OSHA-10. “It taught me about the rights and responsibilities of both employees and employers, and the requirements for protecting our health and safety on the job site,” he said. “That knowledge gave me confidence.”
Catholic Charities launched the Pre-Apprenticeship Green Construction Program to open career opportunities in the growing construction sector while emphasizing sustainable building practices. Graduates gain the skills and credentials needed to enter apprenticeships or entry-level jobs in construction, carpentry and electrical work.
For Aviles, the program led directly to his current position at Navarro Construction, based in Alexandria, Virginia, where he supervises project sites to ensure they are clean and safe, monitors schedules and checks materials.
“My life has changed because I no longer do physically demanding labor,” he said. “My goal is to be in a higher position than I currently hold.”
He describes construction as a profession of both skill and creativity. “Construction work isn’t just about physical labor, it’s about skill, creativity and art,” he said. “My job is like a school, you learn from others, from their experiences, and you share knowledge.”
Faith, he added, has been a source of perseverance. “My faith has helped me not give up,” Aviles said. “Working with integrity helps you earn better evaluations, both professionally and personally, because it’s part of leaving a good record with the company.”
Aviles said he relates closely to the Church’s teaching on labor. “For a long time, the construction industry has been underpaid. We see the same with farmworkers and servers. But this work has dignity,” he said.
That message was echoed on Sept. 1 at a Labor Day Mass at Theological College in Northeast Washington, where Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar called on Catholics to defend the dignity of all workers.
“We as a faith community must recommit ourselves to defending the dignity of every worker, union and nonunion, citizen and immigrant,” Bishop Menjivar said in his homily. “Justice in the workplace and in our communities is not optional. It is a demand of faith and a matter of justice.”
The Church has long defended workers’ rights. More than 130 years ago, Pope Leo XIII issued Rerum Novarum, the foundational encyclical on labor, teaching that a worker “has a full right to demand a just wage.” Pope Francis echoed that tradition in Fratelli Tutti, writing, “Work is a profound expression of our dignity. It is a path to growth, human development, and personal fulfillment.”
Pope Leo XIV, who chose his name in part to honor Pope Leo XIII, often called the “apostle of labor,” recently pointed to new challenges. “In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor,” he said in an address to cardinals earlier this year.
Aviles’s message is simple. “Don’t give up,” he said. “Don’t stop seeking help, because there are programs out there that can open doors.”
He credits Catholic Charities’ program with doing exactly that. “This opportunity opened a path for me to build a better future for my family,” Aviles said.
