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Students Visit Pulte and Pratte Building Systems Site
Students enrolled in the Home Builders Institute's (HBI) plumbing training at the Fred G. Acosta Job Corps Center in Tucson, Ariz. joined staff members from Pratte Building Systems and Pulte Homes on June 10 for an up-close look at each phase of the plumbing process on a residential construction site.
Since signing an agreement with HBI in March establishing a paid “Work-Based Learning” internship program for Acosta’s plumbing students, Pratte Building Systems has hired seven of the institute’s Job Corps trainees for the workplace experience and hopes to be hiring more.
Pratte Building Systems is being acquired by Pulte Homes, which will provide HBI graduates with a wide range of career opportunities in the Southwest.
“Often times in life, it’s the experiences themselves that make the difference in a person’s life,” said Joe Romero, superintendent for Pulte Homes at the site where the students received their one-day plumbing instruction and a member of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association. “For both me and the young adults I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with, it was a day of vision.”
On taking time out of his busy schedule to work with the students, Romero said, “I enjoy educating the next generation of plumbing and industry pros about the details of a major construction project. For me, there is nothing like seeing the look on a kid’s face when they see what their training is leading to, how it’s all connected to a good life and a good living.”
When HBI’s Acosta plumbing instructor and NAHB Student Chapter faculty advisor John Gallagher was asked what his students thought of the job site visit, his reply was simple and direct. “Just look at the picture,” he said.
Home Builders Institute, the workforce development arm of NAHB, is the largest vocational trainer in Job Corps, the nation’s largest federally funded residential job training and education program for at-risk youths who are 16-24 years old.
NAHB members interested in hiring Job Corps graduates should e-mail C.J. Tirone at HBI, or call him at 800-959-0052 x8910.
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