Online Program Launched to Boost Skills, Bonding for Small and Disadvantaged Firms

An industry group is launching a comprehensive online learning program that combines education for small and disadvantaged construction firms with opportunities to receive bonding and scholarships.

The Minority Business Development Institute will begin its MBDI University online training in 2026, which will include eight hours of one-on-one advising in two locations: Philadelphia and Atlanta, says David Cayemitte, CEO of both the education group and of Embrace Partners, which will provide surety bonding for graduates. The program uses the U.S. Small Business Administration criteria of 500 employees or less to define a small business.

RELATED LINK: Ten Minutes With David Cayemitte, CEO of Embrace Partners and the Minority Business Development Institute

The goal is to “provide an opportunity for small contractors in accessing training that is typically reserved for large firms with big training budgets,” he says. “It is a national platform designed to transform small business owners into strong construction executives through a comprehensive, four-year curriculum. The program combines rigorous knowledge assessments with a tailored curriculum and one-on-one consulting. Our four-tier program allows for progressive learning, and because we use upfront knowledge assessments, we can place business owners directly into the classes that address their specific gaps.”

The program will “allow us to expand directly into workforce development with accredited professional education for architects, engineers, attorneys and insurance brokers,” Cayemitte adds. “We will also provide access to a wide range of safety classes, which are not only required on job sites, but also are needed to protect contractors’ workers and balance sheets.”

This past year, the institute partnered with Menotti Enterprise, a veteran-owned firm, and the New York City Economic Development Corp. to provide safety training specific to offshore wind construction to small and disadvantaged firms.

The institute is also launching “The 42” Scholarship Program: Cohort II, which will award scholarships to 42 small contractors. “We are awarding another $15,000 scholarship to each selected CEO, providing them with full tuition for the Travelers Family Business Institute Contractor Business Bootcamp,” adds Caymitte. “This executive MBA-style intensive program is designed specifically for high-potential firms and next-generation leaders. The curriculum focuses on the critical pillars of sustainable growth, including strategic leadership, transitioning from daily operations to long-term business scaling, financial mastery, operational excellence and capacity-building.” 

The online program is the next iteration of the institute’s ongoing online and in-person classes, which began in 2009. According to the program brochure, offerings can range from a three-hour overview meeting to training programs of 60 days to nine months, with the latter estimated to cost about $2,500.

“The one-on-one sessions have been instrumental in helping us build our qualifications and explore new opportunities,” says Shii-Anna Mudie, founder of Resolument Vert Solutions, a consultant specializing in developing resilient and equitable housing and commercial properties. “These meetings have guided us in structuring project stages more effectively, improving our connections with prime contractors and gaining a deeper understanding of the contract process. Additionally, the support we’ve received for our insurance has been outstanding.”

Aileen Cho, ENR’s deputy editor for infrastructure, is a born-again Angeleno and recovering New Yorker. She studied English and theater at Occidental College, where a reporter teaching the one existing journalism course encouraged her to apply for the LA Times Minority Editing Training Program. Her journalism training led to her first stories about transportation, working as a cub reporter with the Greenwich Time. She has been honored, solo or with ENR colleagues, with several journalism awards. For ENR, she has traveled the world, clambering over bridges, touring airports, and descending into tunnels. She is a regular at transportation conferences, where she finds that airport and mass transit engineers really know how to have fun (bridge engineers aren’t far behind). She is always eager to hop on another flight because there are so many interesting projects and people, and she gets tired of throwing her cats off her computer in her home office in Eagle Rock, California. She is a very conflicted Mets/Dodgers fan.