Orleans/Niagara BOCES’ Adult Building Trades students recently helped to build a house in partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
The Building Trades class is a 216-hour program housed at BOCES’ Workforce Development Center at 6th Street and Walnut Avenue. The class ran from January through May and the students worked with a Habitat for Humanity crew on Mondays and Wednesdays.
“Working on a Habitat for Humanity house provides real-life opportunities for our students to apply their new skills. On site, these students were able to pour a foundation, build a roof, install drywall, and run wires, all skills that cannot be replicated so well in a classroom shop environment,” Building Trades teacher Clement Hutchinson observed.
Upon its completion in early July, the Habitat house will be sold to a qualified low-income family through an affordable mortgage.
Habitat for Humanity Director Marco Notaro, a 2012 Niagara Wheatfield graduate and graduate of the Orleans/Niagara BOCES Project-Based Engineering program, appreciates the partnership.
“BOCES is a natural partner for Habitat. Their students have done fantastic and quality work on our Walnut Avenue home. The students came to the site every day with a great attitude, they’re fast learners, and they worked productively,” Notaro said. “We couldn’t have done this project without the students from BOCES.”
Two graduates of the class were hired by Barden Homes, three have applied to join construction trades unions, two are working at Home Depot, and one is using her skills to fix up her own properties while planning a move into real estate.
The next class will begin Sept. 16.
BOCES Adult Skilled Trades classes in Niagara Falls and Lockport also include Welding, Machining, Electricity and HVAC. Information can be found at https://wnytrades.com.
Information about Habitat for Humanity can be found at https://www.niagarahabitat.org.