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Education

Colleges Offer Construction Worker Certificate Program

Instructors say the need for carpentry and other trade skills is growing and some companies are using the program to train new workers

By Associated Press

BOZEMAN – Two-year colleges in Montana are teaming up to provide a job site readiness certificate program for people interested in joining the construction trades as demand for workers in that field increases.

“It’s an opportunity to get some people who might not look too closely into construction trades to test the waters and see if they like what they’re doing,” said Frank Harriman, construction trades advisor at Gallatin College in Bozeman.

Instructors say the need for carpentry and other trade skills is growing and some companies are using the program to train new workers, while other companies are recruiting graduates, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports.

The program includes 30 hours of online training that covers workplace safety, framing, concrete work, print reading and understanding construction materials.

The final 15 hours of onsite training — which can be fulfilled in Great Falls, Bozeman, Missoula or Hamilton — allows students to put their new knowledge to use by framing and building a shed.

The noncredit program costs $750 and graduates receive a 20-piece toolset.

Gallatin College plans to launch a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration program in the fall, offering a one-year certificate and a two-year degree program in another field with growing demand.