For the past several months, the Hampshire's Woodshop Director Jeff Darling has been conducting a pilot program designed to give participants the chance to earn credentials that could lead to a career in home construction.
The Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training (PACT) Program, which is sponsored by the Home Builders Institute and recognized by the National Association of Home Builders, offers students training in in such core areas as Safety and First Aid, Construction Math, Tool Identification and Construction Materials, Employability and Green Building and Carpentry.
Jeff, whose background is in residential home building, said he wants to teach his students to build “the 500-year house” using the latest in building science and what is called “The Perfect Wall” concept.
“This is the new way to build longer lasting, efficient, sustainable and healthier houses,” he said, pointing to a cross-section of a roof he and his students built that features insulation on the outside rather than on the inside of the structure, a design that creates a continuous water, air, vapor and thermal envelope around the entire structure. “I want them to learn how to build right, to build an air-tight, water-tight home.”
Between the course work, and the hands-on learning, the PACT Program will give students “the core knowledge to be useful and helpful on a work crew,” Jeff said. “The more they know, the more willing they’ll be to ask questions, and those questions will be better informed. And in terms of basic skill, they will know more than the average Joe about home building.”
For Wilfredo P-M, Jack J., Jeremy B. and Daniel G-C., the first class of this pilot program, earning their PACT certificate, as well as their OSHA 10 certificate, which demonstrates their commitment to creating a safe and healthy environment in a high-risk industry, has opened them to the possibilities of pursuing a new career.
Jeremy, who had some prior experience with hanging sheetrock, roofing and rough carpentry, said the course has given him “the backstory of how to do it right and do it safely.”
“I’m mindful now of the things I was overlooking,” he said. “The course has definitely broadened my future.”
His classmates agreed, with Jack expressing pride and relief that he passed the math section and Wilfredo adding that he feels the course has given him the information and options he needs to “focus on this trade.”
For Daniel, the course has pointed him toward a new goal. “I want to build my own house,” he said. “Without losing any fingers."
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