Excitement filled the air as the first graduates of the Washington Home Builders' Foundation (WHBF) Construction Trades Training Academy (CTTA) celebrated receiving their Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training (PACT) in Construction on March 28.

Earlier this year, 13 members of the group received PACT Core and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10 certification. Nine continued on to receive Construction certification.

Social, technical, professional and leadership skills

Hosea Immanuel expressed his gratitude for the skills and experience he gained at the academy.

"Honestly, this is one of the best training classes I have ever taken in my life," Immanuel said, in a speech at the CTTA open house on March 24. "I came to this training with the only expectation to learn a little bit of carpentry — hammer a few nails, drill some screws, cuta few pieces of wood, assemble all the parts and build something useful. As the weeks went by, I found out that I was learning many other useful skills as well. Safety, communication and supervision were reinforced every single day we came to class.”      

Skills for a lifetime

Andrew Cordova, who is preparing to re-enter the job market after 20 years in the Army, joined the academy as a way to explore new opportunities. Both his grandfather and father worked in the trades, and Cordova saw the training academy as a way to build skills for a lifetime.

“I spent many summers with my grandfather, and those memories are some of my most cherished,” he said. “He used to buy old furniture from flea markets, refurbish it, and resell it. He was also a skilled welder—he built and sold trailers. His primary job was welding, but when he wasn’t on a job, he was always working on something at home.

“I loved helping him in his shop,” Cordova said. “I’ve always had a knack for working with tools and have done some small projects around the house. Even if I don’t become a professional carpenter, I figured I could at least do more projects at home—especially for my wife, since I love doing things that make her happy.”

Cordova connected with a member of the Master Builders of King and Snohomish Counties for a new job at the hiring fair on CTTA graduation day.

Recent graduate Jezzarie Resurreccion was thrilled at the chance to learn new skills and excited to learn more about the Master Builders of Pierce County Professional Women in Building.

Partnerships and funding brings CTTA to life

The BIAW Washington Home Builders Foundation partnered with Master Builders Pierce's BOLT: Building Opportunities for Learning the Trades, the City of Tacoma, the National Association of Home Builders Home Builders Institute (HBI) and Goodwill Olympics & Rainier Region to bring theCTTA to life.

Major funders included:

-         City of Tacoma

-         Timberland Bank

-         The Milgard Family

-         The Norcliffe Foundation

-         The Woodworth Family Foundation

-         BECU

The next cohort of 29 enrolled students starts on April 14. Interested students can complete an inquiry form for more information.

How builders can help advance the next generation in the trades

As interest in the Construction Trades Training Academy continues to grow, the WHBF needs construction industry employers to join the employer network or become a guest speaker.

Join today!

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