Pueblo Community College Southwest is preparing to kick off its next free construction skills class in partnership with Fundamental Needs on Wednesday, July 1. The class will be held every Wednesday and Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. until Saturday, Aug. 22. The class will also be held on select Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The class offers participating students hands-on training, industry credentials and paid stipends.
The class will be hosted at the Fundamental Needs Maker Space, 209 W. Main St., in Cortez, and is funded through a COPERR grant from the Colorado Attorney General’s office. According to information from PCC, the grant uses funds from a national mortgage settlement to support construction trades and affordable housing development across the state of Colorado.
In this partnership, PCC provides the grant-funded curriculum, tools and materials, while Fundamental Needs supplies the location and instructor. The partnership came about from both PCC and Fundamental Needs sharing commonalities.
“(We have) mutual interest in serving the Cortez community and building cool stuff,” Mick Thornton, COPERR grant coordinator at PCC Southwest, told The Journal.
While attending the class, students will learn basic construction safety, introduction to hand tools, introduction to power tools, introduction to construction drawing, OSHA10 certification and more. They will earn industry-recognized credentials through the National Center for Construction Education and Research platform.
Thornton noted that the class has a capacity of 15 students. There is no tuition cost, despite the class being valued at almost $2,000, and students will receive a $15-per-hour stipend for lab days that take place on Saturday.
Previous classes have participated in projects like building a deck behind the makerspace, and regular sessions have also been held in Towaoc. They also have plans to bring the class to more areas in the region this next fiscal year.
To register for the class, visit bit.ly/PCCconstructionclass. For more information, contact Thornton at (970) 564-6238 or email mickey.thornton@pueblocc.edu.
bduran@the-journal.com
