Free carpentry course provides opportunity for local youth

A 300-hour commercial carpentry course is being offered for persons 18-24 years old at no charge.

The course is offered by the Oxford-Lafayette School of Applied Technology, an accredited training educational facility.

The course is designed to apply to those interested in training for a job or career in the commercial construction industry.

Participants who complete the carpentry course will receive training in a marketable trade, as well certification from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), which is recognized by contractors nationwide.

An OSHA 10-hour card, required by most contractors, will also be awarded to people who complete this course.

The training will consist of shop/lab work, classroom instruction and independent online study with participants receiving extensive “hands on” carpentry and basic construction skills training.

The course is instructed by Steven Hurdle, who is NCCER certified.

“Craft training programs, such as the carpentry course at the Oxford-Lafayette School of Applied Technology, provide a tremendous opportunity for the commercial construction industry to partner with local schools to produce trained workers who can enter the trade at a young age and start a progressive career,” said Gary Bambauer, Mississippi Construction Education Foundation (MCEF) president.

“Those who complete training, who qualify will also be recruited into an approved apprenticeship program where they can receive wages, work full-time and attend classes one night a week.”

This carpentry training is sponsored by the MCEF, a non-profit educational foundation that serves Mississippi’s construction industry.

Classes are offered at no cost to participants with provided funds, supplies, materials and instructor fee through an ARRA grant from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

No prior training is required. Registration and the first class will be held at 8:00 a.m. Thursday, June 24, 2010. The training course runs from June 24 until August 24, .

Classes will be held at 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, June 24 – July 30 and then on Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., August 3, 10, 17 and 24.