Carrie Palmer / The Mainstream

Construction Students Work On Campus Projects

By Carrie Palmer · The Mainstream
Published May 15, 2012

When dressing for success, not many of us pull on a pair of overalls or strap on a weighted tool belt. Yet seven UCC students have chosen to take a year of their life, three hours a day, four days a week, to earn a UCC construction certificate. The certificate requires 60 credits and 12 to 16 credits per term.

Students pursue the construction courses for different reasons. Georgery Fields chose the course simply because he found it interesting; he has no plans on continuing on to become a contractor. Zachariah Jacobson, who is still in high school, attends because “I find it fun; I am here to learn.”Aaron Kimberling is working on gaining his certificate here and then will move on to Lane Community College. Rick Powell is taking the course in order to make himself more employable.

Students in the program have built three houses from the foundation up, two of which have since sold, and the other is used as a rental.

They have also worked on campus projects. Their shed is between the maintenance and security building (it is the only one with a roll up door). They have also worked on the tower behind the technical building and on the current viticulture entrance pillars. The students learned skills in carpentry, masonry, framing, drywall and tiling, everything but plumbing and electric.

 Co-instructor Dennis McElhaney said that the building of a home is the most ideal project for their students to experience. McElhaney is a former RFP employee of sixteen years and a recent course graduate who returned to lead alongside his “hero” Doug Park-Sample.

The construction career field is not what it used to be, but according to lead instructor Park-Sample, “This is the best time to enroll.” As Park-Sample says, it’s not until there is something wrong with a house that people consider a contractor. Park-Sample explained that his students will be ready for when the market improves.

The course is more than just hammer and nails; life skills are also learned. As students learn practical hands-on work, they are also building their clientele, their work ethic and making connections that can impact their future.

One former student, Melanie Jackson, said that she was determined to “milk it for all its worth, to get [my] money’s worth and then some from the program.” She joined the course in 2010, graduated with a construction certificate and then returned for her A.A.O.T in 2011. She is currently the Housing rehab specialist for NeighborWorks.