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HBI Training Supports Gulf Coast Rebuilding Efforts
 Since it was created last year by the Home Builders Institute (HBI) — in partnership with the Jefferson Parish School Board, the Jefferson Parish Workforce Investment Board and The Paxen Group, Inc. — Operation Reconstruct has made significant progress in training New Orleans residents to participate in the city’s ongoing rebuilding efforts.
To date, the home building trade skills program has placed 58 students in construction jobs, with another 108 set to complete training.
The program focuses on three trades of critical importance for the area’s reconstruction — electrical wiring, carpentry and concrete technologies. Students are involved in actual home construction as part of their training regimen, receiving hands-on experience in the field while contributing to their community’s building effort.
The success of Operation Reconstruct New Orleans has garnered HBI an additional $325,000 in funding from Freddie Mac and NAHB’s Home Building Industry Disaster Relief Fund (HBIDRF) to replicate the program in Gulfport, Miss. Discussions are also underway to develop a program in Baton Rouge.
“In addition to leaving many families homeless, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused Mississippi’s unemployment to skyrocket,” said Bobby Rayburn, a former NAHB president and president of the association’s relief fund. “It just made sense for these organizations to come together to help address the immense need for new homes and new jobs for skilled construction labor created by the storms.”
“I applaud Bobby Rayburn for bringing Freddie Mac together with home builders.” said Richard Syron, chairman and chief executive officer of Freddie Mac. “By learning concrete building technologies, workers will not only gain vital job skills, they’ll be rebuilding a Gulf region that is stronger than ever.”
For more information on HBI’s Katrina relief efforts, e-mail Dennis Torbett at HBI, or call him at 800-795-7955 x8908; or contact Maria McIntyre, x8912.
Home Builders Institute Offers New Program to Teach Hispanic Adults English
 Sed de Saber™-Construction Edition is an easy-to-use, take-home learning tool created exclusively for the construction industry by the Home Builders Institute to improve communication, quality and safety on the job site.
The product, now available at www.seddesaberconstruction.com, uses proven LeapFrog technology to allow workers to listen, record and play back their pronunciation of more than 500 vocabulary words and 340 phrases. Participants who practice 30 minutes each day will complete the program in just four months. Learning at home, on their own time, also eliminates scheduling conflicts.
 Sed de Saber™-Construction Edition was developed by a team of subject matter experts assembled through HBI — including superintendents, craft skills experts, remodelers and builders — to ensure that the information is relevant to today’s home building workforce. To address worker safety issues related to the language barrier, HBI created a seventh book based entirely on the NAHB-OSHA Job Site Safety Handbook.
NAHB members can purchase the learning system, all seven books and a skills assessment to chart employee progress for $395 per kit. The non-member price is $495. Order today and empower your workers to learn English at www.seddesaberconstruction.com.
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