Western Building Center is pleased to announce our participation in the Flathead High School Construction Class, a new program for students to learn the construction trade. A huge thank you to Flathead High School and our other partners, Glacier Bank and Hammerquist Casalegno General Contractors, as well as all our subcontractors and suppliers for their generous donation of time, money and materials.
The Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Flathead High School Construction Class will be held on September 1, 2015 at 10:30 AM at the jobsite, 663 Corporate Drive, Kalispell, MT. The public is invited!
Why We Did It
About half of all jobs in Montana are classified as Middle-Skilled workers – generally speaking, jobs that “require more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree” according to Accenture (https://newsroom.accenture.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=6253). Many of these jobs are in the construction trades, so several local building industry businesses banded together to give the students of the Flathead School Districts the chance to learn skill sets that will boost them in the expanding Middle-Skilled workforce.
What We’re Doing
While classroom learning is a key part of the program, there is no substitute for direct hands-on training in learning construction. To fulfill this part of the program, the students will apprentice under skilled subcontractors while building a full-sized home on the outskirts of Kalispell from excavation to finish. Once it’s completed, the home will be sold for the program’s benefit.
Flathead School District 5 has taken overall responsibility for the academic training, while several industry businesses have readied the lot, building materials and financing for the student-built home. The subcontractor partners will teach the students though hands-on experience.
What We’ll Do
Actual construction of the 1800 square foot, 2 story home will begin September 3, 2015.
Visit the new Flathead High School Construction Class website (https://westernbuildingcenter.com/student-house/) to find out more! Find out more why we did it, visit our Partners page to see who’s involved, and get all the details on the home the students will build. In the coming weeks, we will post daily and weekly updates and host a live jobsite webcam on our Progress page. We will post student essays and more on the blog.
Who We Are
Program Host: Flathead High School
Main Partners: Western Building Center, Hammerquist Casalegno General Contractors, the Flathead Building Association, Glacier Bank and Flathead Electric Co-operative.
Subcontractors, Vendors, Manufacturers and Suppliers: Visit our Partners page!