ELEANOR -- At Putnam Career and Technical Center, future homebuilders get hands-on skills training complete with the opportunity to building a home.
Since 1968, the center has offered a variety of vocational and technical training to the community, and 500 to 600 students take advantage of it each year.
One notable course offering is the building construction program. In it, the skills and talents of the students are put to task right on campus with the annual construction of a home that is later auctioned.
The process begins with a building plan developed by the center's computer-aided drafting class. As a general rule, the same building plan is used twice before developing new specifications for the following project.
The dimensions of the structures are such that they are at the maximum length and width, roughly 1,600 square feet, that allows the school to relocate the home, constructed in two separate sections, to the purchaser's property following auction.
Kevin Childers, general building construction instructor, is in his ninth year at the center. As a former PCTC student and now a general contractor himself, he said he enjoys sharing his knowledge in a school setting.
"I never expected it to come full circle like this, but I'm glad it worked out that way," he said.
Most of the programs offered at the center require two years to graduate with usually two half-days of attendance per week, approximately 20-30 students per class, and roughly 100 whose hands actually contribute to the final product, Childers said.
In addition to the construction class, there are also electrical, heating ventilation and air conditioning, plumbing, and masonry classes that participate in the hands-on learning experience.
Following construction, the homes are sold at auction, usually in June, for $70,000 to $78,000. The purchaser is responsible for obtaining a lot and having the home moved to its final destination.
"Even at those prices, it's still a very equitable thing to do in terms of purchasing a house," Childers said.
The center covers the cost of all the items necessary for the home's construction, and any profit made from its sale is reinvested in future program construction.
Built with two full baths and three bedrooms, all the homes incorporate top-of-the-line finishing touches that can include hardwood flooring, maple cabinetry, solid surface tops, jetted whirlpool tubs, AM/FM intercom systems throughout, and even security systems.
"We like to expose the students to as much as we can and still build something we can move when we're finished," Childers said.
Childers says he finds it amazing to see the transformation in the students from start to finish.
"We start in September with students learning to read a tape measure. And when they roll out of here, they have a house under roof. There's something to say for that."
He said the program provides practical experience that helps students understand better the concepts they have learned earlier in their schooling.
"So many of the math skills that they've been exposed to in high school come to life here," Childers said. "We give them practical applications and associate things in a way that makes sense."
Childers said that there are still some misconceptions about vocational programs in general.
"Some people think the kids that come here are eliminating their option for college," he said. "But that is absolutely not true. This is where you start college, if that's what they want to do. The credits they earn here can be applied to their college requirements."
Childers suggests that a good combination for students is having a strong technical background with a two-year associates degree.
"That produces a well rounded student in my opinion."
The career center has placement personnel available to help with finding employment even after the student has graduated and left the school.
"We're not finished with them just because they complete the program. They're helped along the way until they are employed in the field of their choice," Childers said.
The center also strives to ensure that students leave the school with as many industry-related credentials as possible.
"We are trying to issue more certifications and cards that the industry is looking for so that the students are more marketable and ready to go into the workforce."
Regarding program eligibility, Childers said that students at the county's four high schools are given first priority. Then if there are adult students interested in attending, and open seats available, adults may register for classes as well if openings remain.
Most adult students at the center have been displaced from a plant or other employment, and go to the center to be retrained.
"As an instructor, I enjoy having that mix in the classroom. The maturity helps keep things serious and focused," he added.
Upon graduation, Childers said most students can look at starting wages in the $30,000 range, depending on the avenue of employment they pursue, whether they are interested in union or non-union work and their area of expertise.
To learn more about the programs offered at the Putnam Career and Technical Center, call (304)586-3494, or go online at putnam.schoolspan.com/pctc/.
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