Construction Trades Program Builds Self-Confidence

Jan. 31, 2012 ~ From a scale model of a building to a single-family home, students in Gary Anderson's Construction Trades program at Millcreek Center can say they've built it. The skills needed for both types of construction keep students interested and builds self-confidence.

"The more skills you learn, the more skills you have and the more employable you become," Anderson tells his students.

This year students built three, one-quarter scale models of two-story homes for the Olathe Fire Department to use in training.

"These models allow our firefighters to see many different types of construction that have been used over the past 100 years or so," Assistant Chief Tim Richards said. "Without these props, we rely on manuals or photos."

The students are now building a 15-foot-by-60-foot storage/exercise room inside the fire department's headquarters. In addition to framing and drywall, students will install suspended ceilings and commercial-grade doors; things they're not used to tackling in the home-building projects.

"They gain the self-confidence and realize they can accomplish tasks they previously thought they couldn't do. Seeing their self-confidence grow is rewarding for me," Anderson said. "They learn skills that will help them care for their own homes someday." Projects require the students to work together, thereby promoting good soft-skills and teamwork.

Construction Trades students built houses for many years and framed a Habitat for Humanity home last spring. Anderson said there are tentative plans to build another Habitat home during the 2012-13 school year.

	Students in the Construction Trades program at Millcreek Center learn a variety of skills, from framing to hanging drywall.
	This school year began with the students building three models of two-story homes for the Olathe Fire Department to use in training sessions. Various portions of the model homes feature different building styles from the past 100 years or so.
	Instructor Gary Anderson talks with his students about the placement of an end wall on their current storage/exercise room project for the Olathe Fire Department.   Photos by Marlene Colgan