Inaugural group completes OTC construction program

The program, which aims to help fill a local need for quality construction workers, covers several topics, including power tools, construction safety and job-hunting skills.

OTC and area construction representatives from organizations including Springfield Contractors Association and the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield met in early March to address construction labor needs.

“One of the things these construction representatives told us for this program (was) they did not want specific training, but general,” said David Aderhold, chairman of OTC’s construction division. “Basically, we are just preparing them to enter the construction industry at the entry level, and then they get specific, hands-on training.”

Though the school considers the first session of the program a success, the school hasn’t yet decided when the next one will begin. Ideally, Aderhold said, construction-industry training should be finished in the spring, so the next session may not start until January.

Kathy Baer, employment services director with SCA, said her organization was involved with the planning for the course, including its curriculum. She said SCA provided scholarships for three students who completed the program.

The program, which is only open to those who are 18 or older, requires a $40 deposit, which pays for a drug test, and tuition is $700.

Baer said the Construction Readiness Program may be a good fit for people who aren’t interested in pursuing two- or four-year college degrees.

“What these people need out of high school is training … so they can go out and get a good job,” she said.

OTC’s Aderhold agrees.

“Not everybody needs a college degree, and I think this is a way a young person can get in with a minimum amount of investment, in time and money, and get right into a construction work force,” he said.

Baer said she has received phone calls from construction-industry companies that are interested in hiring program graduates.

Among the interested parties is Lee Beaman, president and commercial division manager of Beaman Electric in Springfield. Beaman served as a member of the advisory committee that helped to form the Construction Readiness Program.

Beaman said he has requested interviews with program graduates, one of whom he has hired.

“There seems to be, in the education world, a need, or a want to push people into a white-collar atmosphere,” he said. “As a tradesman, (I know) we are hurting for good quality young people coming into the business. Working with your hands can earn you a very good (living).”

OTC’s Construction Readiness Program

The Construction Readiness Program requires a $40 deposit, which pays for a drug test. Tuition is $700. Enrollment is open to people ages 18 and older. The school has not yet determined when the next session of the program will begin.