CTE students get hands-on experience
building replica home inside classroom

By Mary Hemlapp
KyForward Contributor

Workers diligently place wiring through the studs while some drive nails in two-by-fours, and still others take care of the plumbing and HVAC. This may sound like any new home being built, but this is a unique home. It’s being built inside a classroom by students in the Building Trades Technician program at College for Technical Education on Centre Parkway in Lexington.

The 20-foot-by-16-foot replica home provides hands-on training for the students in this nine-month program. The students learn to perform interior and exterior repairs using hand and power tools. Each participates in a learning module on carpentry, electrical and HVAC, plumbing and other classes that teach blueprint reading, using a tape measure and basic math skills. The students also will learn about workplace and tool safety. EPA certification is offered for those who wish to fully round out their HVAC training.

“This is the whole package,” said Chip Breeze, program instructor. “They spend six weeks in each course, and during their last module they work directly for contractors and with customers.

Some of that experience is gained right on campus. CTE, which also offers Cosmetology, Business Office Administration, Early Childhood Education, Food and Hospitality, Medical Assistant and Nail Technology programs, has been undergoing remodeling projects to meet increasing student demand. Students in the Building Trades Technician program have been hired by the contractors overseeing the remodeling projects.

Students also have been involved in community service projects on Elm Tree Lane and with Habitat for Humanity.

“There were homes on Elm Tree Lane that had code violations,” Breeze said. “The owners were elderly and didn’t have the resources to bring the homes up to code. Rev. Jim Thurman, who’s our admissions officer and the associate minister of Shiloh Baptist Church, made us aware of this need, and we stepped in to help.”

The training doesn’t end with classes and community service. As with all CTE programs, heavy emphasis is placed on preparation for work in the industry, with regular discussions of what employers look for, how to get and keep a job, resume preparation, mock interviews, post-interview follow-up and networking skills. CTE’s employment consultants provide referrals for part-time jobs while students are in school. The job placement rate for graduates is good.

At this time, those without a GED or diploma may be admitted to the Building Trades

Technician program. Class sizes are small for all of CTE’s programs and all but the cosmetology program can be completed in nine months. Financial aid is available for those who qualify, and there is on-site daycare.

CTE was established in 1997 to assist people with barriers to employment to become self-sufficient. It is accredited through the Council on Occupational Education.

For information on the Building Trades Technician program or any of the others, call Julie Goodpaster at 859-272-5225 or visit www.cte.edu.

Mary Hemlepp is a Lexington public relations consultant and an avid reader. She is the author of “If No One’s Looking, Do We Have To Try As Hard,” about over-fifty women.