Construction Skills Program comes to an end

The Akwesasne Economic Development Agency (AEDA) in conjunction with the Community Support Program of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne presented a Construction Skills Program at AEDA’s office in the Peace Tree Trade Centre. The program lasted eight weeks with five weeks dedicated to training and three weeks dedicated to a construction project.

The purpose of the program was to show different careers in construction and point the participants in the right direction towards employment. It included introductory components in framing, roofing, siding, flooring, concrete, rigging, design, mechanicals and ventilation. Upon completion it is hoped the participants will have generated enough interest to pursue a career in construction.

The program was presented by Adrian McDonald and featured numerous training programs including the Gift of Self-Esteem, a Basic Safety Course including WHMIS, a certified HazMat Course and Confined Space Course along with computer training. The five week training session ended with the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) curriculum “First Nations Builder’s Series”. They also attended a certified CPR/First Aid course presented by Helen Lazore Pyke, RN.

Some of the courses ran the entire length of the training session such as interview skills and knot tying which were practiced every day of the five week training session. The interview skills were meant to encourage participants to be able to get past the awkward silence in an interview situation. The knot tying was part of the ropes and rigging course that was held until the end. The easiest way to learn knots is by practicing all the time and putting it all together at some point along the way.

During the program participants chose different projects to work on that included the “Ultimate Sawhorse” and the “2 in 1 Sawhorse” that they found doing research on the web. They then had to put their plans in a word document and a materials list on a spreadsheet. They then voted on nine different designs and built two different sets of sawhorses.

The next project was a set of stairs that was built using traditional rise over run calculations. The participants were surprised when a community member offered to buy the stairs. The participants bartered it for a running tab at Knead Your Dough? bakery.

The next project was a scale model house that was built in conjunction with the CMHC “First Nations Builder’s Series”. The house was built to scale using modern framing methods. The scale model house featured attic space rafters with a raised heel made by the participants. The house is six feet high, five feet long and four foot wide. It was sided, shingled, vented and included a window.

The participants raffled the scale model house as an ultimate dog house. The doghouse included a working window and an attic! The winner was drawn on October 30th in the afternoon and was won by lucky ticket holder Jeff Thompson from Snye. The participants wish to thank everyone who purchased tickets.

The final project was a barbeque pit for the Hogansburg Akwesasne Volunteer Fire Department (HAVFD). The project included setting forms, pouring concrete, setting posts, framing and building rafters. The rafters included sawtooth design to accommodate a vent over the barbeque pit which presented a complication the participants were able to overcome. The project was unable to be completed due to the instructor attending a mandatory conference at the NYS Fire Academy in Montour Falls, NY. The participants came close and the HAVFD will finish it in due time.

The participants include Skylar Arney, David Colon, Jr., Phillip Jacobs, Henry Johnson, Lawrence Johnson, Ernie King and Toby Thompson. Congratulations to those that finished and thank you to the funding from the Community Support Program of MCA.