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Project CRAFT Success Cited at ICCA Conference
A Sept. 13-16 research conference by the International Community Corrections Association (ICCA) in Orlando focusing on the best practices for rehabilitating persons returning home from the criminal justice system included a look at the success of the Home Builders Institute’s (HBI’s) Project CRAFT (Community, Restitution, Apprenticeship Focused Training) program .
Dennis Torbett, the Home Builders Institute’s vice president of Workforce Training and Employment (WTE), and WTE Director John Hattery attended the meeting to present results from HBI’s seven Project CRAFT programs in Florida.
Project CRAFT trains more than 500 youths annually in Florida, and more than 90% of its graduates find placement in home building industry jobs, the military or school.
WTE Manager Tadar Muhammad, who served on the planning committee for the ICCA conference, organized a tour of Project CRAFT’s new training facility for the event.
“It was a privilege to show attendees of the ICCA conference Project CRAFT’s new training facility in Orlando,” said Bill Paul, an HBI trustee and a Florida builder. “The new site illustrates the advancements that HBI is making in rehabilitative job training, as well as some of the innovative practices that are being incorporated into the residential construction industry.”
The opening of the new Orlando facility coincides with the introduction of green home building subject matter in HBI’s Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training (PACT). Three HBI trustees and green builders from across the country participated in the curriculum development process.
Green building practices have been incorporated into all of the PACT training materials. In addition, three new sections on green building, weatherization and painting have been added. PACT Works, a student entrepreneurial guide, has been included as a supplement
“With the current direction of the building industry, adding green components to the PACT curriculum was essential,” said HBI Chairman M. M. “Mike” Weiss, CGR, CGB, GMB, CAPS. “Gainful employment has proven to be a strong indicator of rehabilitation, and students entering into PACT programs will now receive training that makes them increasingly marketable to building industry employers.”
For more information on Project CRAFT or the PACT curriculum, e-mail Dennis Torbett at HBI, or call him at 800-795-7955 x8908.
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