Job Corps Students Reap Benefits of NAHB Membership

Home Builders Institute (HBI) students enrolled at the North Texas Job Corps Center outside Dallas and the Fred G. Acosta Job Corps Center in Tucson, AZ, are the first west of the Mississippi to have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of membership in NAHB Student Chapters.

The HBA of Greater Dallas's new student chapter was officially chartered during the NAHB board of directors meeting in Columbus, OH. The charter was presented to the chapter’s faculty advisor, HBI plumbing instructor Rick Oberlin, and his students during a ceremony at the Sunbelt Builders Show on Oct. 21 in Grapevine, TX.

“The population in Texas will double over the next 25 years, which means 25 million more people will be needing homes,” said Tim Jackson, immediate past president of the Dallas HBA, who will serve as the chapter’s industry advisor and builders association liaison. “We look forward to providing the youth in our area the resources and skills it takes to be successful in our industry.”

The new NAHB Student Chapter at the Fred G. Acosta Job Corps campus in Tucson is expected to be officially chartered during January’s International Builders’ Show in Orlando, FL, and is taking shape through a partnership with the Southern Arizona Builders Association (SAHBA).

On Oct. 15, association president Edward Taczanowsky took his student members on a special tour of the HBA’s Home & Garden Show in which they had the opportunity to hear from prominent members of the state’s construction community.

“This was an eye-opening experience for the students — the trip was a total success,” said HBI instructor and chapter faculty advisor, John Gallagher.

The following week, participating in “Make a Difference Day,” 11 chapter members from the Acosta Job Corps Center helped the City of Tucson refurbish the Rose Garden at Reid Park in preparation for a wedding. The students did such a good job that they received an unexpected thank-you call from the city.

The very first NAHB Student Chapter for HBI Job Corps students — at the Westover Job Corps Center in Chicopee, MA — was chartered during the association’s fall board meeting in Boston in 2003. That was followed by charters for the Cassadaga Job Corps Center, in Cassadaga, NY, and the Mississippi Job Corps Center in Crystal Springs.

This year, HBI, the workforce development arm of NAHB, is celebrating 30 years of collaboration with the Department of Labor’s Job Corps. During that time, it has helped thousands of disadvantaged youths become members of the nation’s residential construction workforce.

Job Corps is the nation’s largest federally funded residential job training and education program for at-risk youths who are 16-24.

Pictured: 2) SAHBA president Edward Taczanowsky signs NAHB Student Chapter documents surrounded by left-right: Sean Cureton, Chapter secretary; Jesse Constancio, HBI Regional Program Manager; Hareld Craig, Director of the Fred G. Acosta Job Corps Center. Seated: Chapter President Marc Solo and Faculty Advisor HBI Instructor John Gallagher. [ return to top ]