MSJC’s Introduction To Construction Program

MSJC’s Introduction to Construction program gives handson experience to adults interested in entering the trade.

Students from MSJC’s adult education construction class work on a project in Temecula, November 2021.

To meet the workforce needs in the high-growth sector industry of construction in southwest Riverside County, Mt. San Jacinto College and Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley teamed up to offer a pre-apprenticeship program to bring qualified workers into the fold.

“This class was an opportunity for MSJC Adult Education to offer free shortterm vocational training to adult learners,” instructor Sterling Davenport said. “Our construction pre-apprenticeship program was one of the first non-credit CTE training opportunities offered at MSJC. It paved the way for other free short-term vocational training programs such as Introduction to Business Communications, Child Development, Digital Media and Culinary Arts.”

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Davenport has been at MSJC since 2010, working for its Adult Education program teaching GED, computer and construction classes.

No cost class

The no-cost introduction to construction class is held every spring and fall for approximately 12 weeks. It has been held in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley since fall 2020 and with the city of Temecula about two years before that. The program teaches basic construction and carpentry skills, terminology, blueprint reading, cost estimating, applied mathematics for construction and more. Students can earn their CPR and OSHA-10 certifications.

“Habitat has been a great opportunity and partnership that we are truly grateful for in terms of what their service means to the community. It has even led to developing other career classes like our Introduction to Nonprofit Industries and Employment taught by Tammy Marine, Executive Director at Habitat,” Davenport said.

For almost five years, Eric Bunge was the Director of Community Outreach for Habitat’s Inland Valley chapter. He helped connect people and resources to the nonprofit’s mission through his role as a public figure. He oversaw several notable projects which is how he came to be recommended to work with the MSJC construction course. Fall 2022 marked his fourth semester teaching the class.

“We have had the privilege of working with students with a wide range of skill levels, backgrounds, ages and future aspirations,” he said. “People take the class for various reasons, but it brings me joy when students take that knowledge and apply it. We have had a few that have taken the next step and entered into the Carpenters Union program, and we even have one person from the very first class on staff as a key furniture builder at our Design Center. Some have even expressed interest in purely volunteering on our job sites.”

He said the students have an indirect but significant impact on Habitat’s mission.

Job site training

“Habitat for Humanity is built on the premise of volunteers and donors coming together by providing a pathway to homeownership for hardworking families. There is no better example of this than on a Habitat job site,” Bunge said. “However, there is a national shortage of skilled labor in the construction trades. This shortage affects our ability to get skilled volunteers and donated services from contractors. These deficits have a direct impact on our homebuilding program but more importantly, on homeownership affordability for all our residents. By serving as a collaborative partner in the Construction Pre-apprenticeship program, we are, in essence, promoting the construction trades as a viable career path for participants. Our goal with this class is to excite people about the

construction field, provide them with basic knowledge of the industry, train them in tool usage and safety and introduce them to potential employers to help them transition into the field. We are also grateful for our partnership with the Carpenters Union and that our students have the opportunity to earn hours toward their pre-apprenticeship program.”

Davenport agrees as he said not every student is bound for a four-year college degree and construction is a field that is always in need of employees. The job is physically and mentally rewarding and makes an excellent high-paying career for anyone who wants a career change or is fresh out of high school. He said every cohort graduates up to 20 students and typically transitions two to three students to employment opportunities each semester.

Bunge said the fall 2022 class was working on a unique project where they will be building a shed structure.

“This is designed to have the similar layout as a home build, just on a smaller footprint,” he said. “The sheds will even be equipped with ventilation and a solar fan for cooling. The students complete one each semester and in the long-term, we hope to build a total of five or six. Habitat IV’s Design Center will use these as storage for their programs and merchandise that are currently in rented containers. The money saved from the rental fees will be cycled back to support Habitat IV’s housing programs. We have already built two and will complete the third one this fall.”

Just like most successful construction projects, Davenport has been able to build the class to meet current trends in the industry so that students are learning about the most up-to-date and applicable methods and techniques.

“When we first created the class, the Carpenters Union helped guide our curriculum development to match the core skills and certifications of the industry. However, as the semesters went on and we started to incorporate an employer panel of local businesses to give our students the opportunities to meet professionals in the field, we added new skills, certifications, and content to match what the local industry needed,” he said. “One of the most consistent types of feedback we get from students is how surprised they are at how much construction pays without the need for a college degree and how many different areas a person can specialize in besides just framing and working with lumber: drywall, plumbing, electrical, etc. Our employer panel also comments on how awesome it is for the college to invest in the trades since it is in such a high-demand industry with job openings all over the place and many of the local high schools have stepped away from the trades in favor of sending kids to college.”

No experience needed

Classes are targeted toward adult learners who are 18 years or older that are not currently enrolled in high school. No prior experience in the field is required. Since construction is a vast field with various job openings, specialties and skill levels, the ideal candidate is an adult learner who wants a job in the area and needs the skills or knowledge to jump in.

“Our end-of-the-term employer panel gets students in direct contact with professionals hiring in the community. Our partnership with the Southwestern Carpenters Union also allows any student to join the union right after class and get work,” Davenport said.

MSJC also offers an embedded counseling component to support students with developing necessary soft skills specific to this industry and skills for resume writing/overall access for employment within this industry.

“We want anyone from those who have no experience to those with lots of experience domestically or internationally,” Davenport said. “If you don’t know how to swing a hammer or need the knowledge to succeed in the construction industry in Southern California, we are interested in you.”

MSJC offers adult learners the opportunity to break into the construction trade through its free course, now offered in the Temecula and San Jacinto valleys. Courtesy photos

For more information on all free MSJC Adult Education classes, call 951-487-3707 or visit www.msjc.edu/adulted.

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