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Kansas City Builders Assess Students’ Carpentry Skills
Home Builders Institute (HBI) sponsorship of the 2005 SkillsUSA carpentry competition held during the early summer in Kansas City, Mo. provided an opportunity for construction students to interact with five established builders from the area who helped judge the contest.
The competition measures students on their accuracy, ability to read and interpret blueprints, workmanship and use of tools and equipment as they work to complete their required tasks in just six-and-a-half hours.
How the students go about their work, their regard for safety measures and practices, and the finished product itself all factor into the final scoring of the judges, who have a first-hand opportunity to assess how the students would handle themselves on a job site.
Provided with the exact amount of nails, screws and other materials needed to complete the task, students in the carpentry competition are required to build a structure containing wood and steel partitions, rafters, stairs, an interior finish and a concrete column form.
Each builder was assigned to judge 26 students in no more than four of the overall categories.
“There are some really bright kids here and we like to see what they are capable of, and our tough grading allows us that luxury” said George Schluter of GWS Homes. “But when it’s all said and done, we give them some pointers and advice that will help them move forward in the industry.”
“The level of expertise seems to advance each year, and this year we had more participants complete the project than I ever remember,” he added.
Schluter was joined by fellow Kansas and Missouri home builders Barry Allen of Huttig Building Projects; Alan Vonholten of Meyer Brothers Building Co.; Mike Yates from the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City; and Robert Wagoner of Wagoner Custom Homes.
HBI, the workforce development arm of NAHB, promotes the home building industry as a career and helps address its workforce needs through trades training and job placement programs.
For more information on the SkillsUSA competition, e-mail Keith Albright at HBI, or call him at 800-795-7955 x8911.
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