|
More Than 600 Students Participate in Builders Youth Day
Palencia, a Hines-developed community in Northeast Florida, recently hosted more than 600 high school students in one of the nation’s largest and most successful Builders Youth Days.
“These future industry leaders got an up-close look at how professional craftsmen and builders transform dirt lots into award-winning homes and communities,” noted Naomi Lumley, sales and marketing director for Hines at Palencia.
The program is one of only 10 pilot projects nationwide selected by the Home Builders Institute (HBI), the workforce development arm of NAHB. Funded by a grant awarded under the President’s High Growth Job Training Initiative, as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, the project is part of an effort led by the Northeast Florida Builders Association to recruit young people for industry careers.
“There is a shortage of construction workers, so we are trying to promote the trade as a viable career alternative,” said Rita Williams, president of Merchandising Plus. The Jacksonville, Fla.-based firm has won numerous awards throughout the country for its innovative interior design work.
Hosted by Palencia for the second straight year, Builders Youth Day showcased best practices for carpentry, masonry, plumbing, electrical engineering, surveying and interior design. Students also had the opportunity to participate in a nail driving contest and to ask questions of some of Northeast Florida’s top builders and designers.
Volunteers, staff and members from St. Johns River Community College, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, Florida Youth ChalleNGe, the Jacksonville Job Corps Center, Joyce Development Group, ICI Homes, Rita Williams Merchandising Plus, The Vintage Group, Brylen Homes, The Woodside Group, Standard Pacific, St. Johns Builders Council and Palencia were on hand to help lead the students through construction site tours, and answer questions along the way about framing, drywall installation, wiring, masonry, design and more.
Students from schools in St. Johns, Baker, Duval and Clay counties, and from Job Corps Centers where HBI offers training in carpentry and electrical, participated in the half-day event.
Students arrived by bus, received hard hats and t-shirts and were served lunch afterwards in one of Palencia’s many parks. The 2,200-acre development includes single-family homes, condominiums, live/work units and town homes and more than 300,000 square feet of retail and office space.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, total employment in the construction industry will increase by nearly one million jobs in 2012. However, the industry has experienced difficulty in recruiting young workers.
For more information on this or the other nine pilot sites, e-mail John Shortt at HBI, or call him at 800-795-7955 x8924.
|
