Photo: Kelly Fletcher Photography
This spring, BDCC partnered with HatchSpace to host a workforce training, Basics in Construction and the Building Trades. The training was 8 weeks, with two sessions each week. Each week, the training featured hands-on skill building in construction and building fundamentals at HatchSpace. BDCC hosted a weekly session on career exposure within the construction industry, including class visits from industry leaders and job site tours.
Core content in the HatchSpae hands-on portion of the course included Fundamentals of Measuring, Identification of Common Building Materials, Introduction to Woodworking Tools, and Workplace Safety & Health Knowledge. BDCC hosted class visits from the following individuals: Anthony Girard, GPI Construction; Al Claussen, BDCC (Real Estate/Property Maintenance); Anthony Toscano (Small Business/Entrepreneurship); Mel Baiser, HELM Construction Solutions, Tracy Lee, Handiqueers; and Fric Spruyt (house renovation site visit).
The 9 individuals who completed the course had a diverse amount of experience in construction and building, ranging from currently working in the industry, to little to no experience.
Participant feedback was that including a mixture of hands-on learning with HatchSpace and a glimpse into the industry and exploration of entry points through class visits from community members actually in the industry was very informative and illustrative of the many opportunities within the construction and building trades.
About BDCC
Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) is a private, nonprofit economic development organization with the mission of investing in the drivers of the regional economy so that people, businesses, and communities in Southern Vermont can thrive. In addition to its private nonprofit leadership role in regional business acceleration and expansion programs and projects, economic, workforce, and community development programming, BDCC is also contracted to carry out the work of one of the twelve the State of Vermont’s certified Regional Development Corporations (RDC) for the greater Windham County area (including Windham County and the towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, Winhall, and Weston). BDCC’s activity is made possible in part by a grant from the State of Vermont through the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. For more information, visit: https://brattleborodevelopment.com/
About the Workforce Center of Excellence
The Workforce Center of Excellence (WFCoE) is an employer-driven workforce and career training and education initiative of Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC). The WFCoE leverages BDCC’s relationships with employers and workforce development partners, supporting both sides of the labor exchange to connect people with opportunity, and employers with the talent they need. The WFCoE is funded in part by a Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) grant from the Northern Border Regional Commission and US Department of Labor’s Employment & Training Administration (ETA).
Funding under WORC 5 – NBRC via the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) as part of an award totaling $1,038,681 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources, and 100% financed with governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by BDCC, DOL, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please contact BDCC at ExecutiveDirector@brattleborodevelopment.com