Workforce Training Program

The YouthBuild PCS Workforce Training Program is comprised of vocational education, basic on-site construction training, and specialized construction and technology training tracks. These offerings provide students with the opportunity to gain valuable employability skills. Students spend 40 percent of their overall time at YouthBuild PCS on a construction work site or in vocational education classes. Through partnerships with local non-profit housing developers, YouthBuild students work on an actual construction site under the supervision of skilled construction trainers. Trainers create a “real world” working environment in order to teach and reinforce development of soft skills such as punctuality, attendance, preparation, ability to work on a team, and efficiency in completing daily tasks. Students also have the opportunity to develop and demonstrate leadership skills on the work site by assuming various roles such as crew chief, safety monitor, and tools and equipment manager.

 

Trainings and Certifications Offered at YouthBuild PCS

NCCER CORE

National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) Contren ® Learning Series – Core Certification. Through NCCER’s Core Certification, students learn a number of soft skills that are transferable into the workforce upon completion of the program including: basic safety, construction math, how to use hand and power tools, how to read blueprints, basic communications skills, and basic employability skills.

 

HBI PACT

HomeBuilders Institute Pre-Apprenticeship Construction Training (HBI PACT). Through HBI PACT, students learn green building methods and skills needed by the residential construction workforce. Students learn a number of soft skills including: building trades safety and first aid, construction math, tools and construction materials, employability, and carpentry.

 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR YB-TAP

The Department of Labor (DOL) YouthBuild Trainee Apprenticeship Preparation Program (YB-TAP) is a set of national standards developed by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship to create consistency in training across YouthBuild programs nationally. YouthBuild PCS follows YB-TAP guidelines and requirements and is an approved trainee program of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship. YouthBuild PCS students complete YB-TAP requirements while participating in first-year vocational education and construction-site training, including HBI PACT and NCCER CORE.

 

NCCER Your Role In the Green Environment

This curriculum is taught to all students at YouthBuild PCS and offers fundamental instruction in the green environment, green construction practices, and green building rating systems. Specific knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired through this training include: the environmental impact of the built environment and ways construction professionals can minimize the impact responsibly and effectively, including calculating a carbon footprint, how to inventory household and product impacts, and an introduction to the LEED Green Building Rating System.

 

HVAC

Heating-Ventilation-Air-Conditioning (HVAC) training is offered to multi-year students wishing to receive specialized training to go into the HVAC job industry.  Heating and air-conditioning systems control the temperature, humidity, and the total air quality in residential, commercial, industrial, and other buildings. Specific knowledge, skills, and abilities covered in the YouthBuild PCS HVAC course include: introduction to heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration; blueprints, codes, and specifications; types of training programs and careers in the HVAC industry; how to minimize HVAC impact on the environment; and the sheet metal trade, specifically, as it pertains to design and construction for HVAC.

HVAC training at YouthBuild PCS prepares students to take the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) four-part CFC Section 6.08 exam to become an EPA-certified universal technician.  Specific jobs that graduates will be qualified for include entry-level installation technician jobs and HVAC maintenance work for residential and light commercial facilities.

 

Deconstruction

Deconstruction training is offered to multi-year students who wish to receive specialized training. When producing new building materials, serious environmental damage is caused by harvesting, mining, and transportation across continents. Landfills and incinerators are filled with construction and demolition debris, which comprises over half of the nation’s solid waste. Deconstruction is a green building practice where skilled laborers carefully take apart, rather than demolish, old buildings so that materials can be re-used in new building projects. Students in the YouthBuild PCS Deconstruction Training learn: safety practices in deconstruction, how to conduct site surveys, asbestos and lead safety protocols, site management, and the basics of the deconstruction process. Graduates of this training track leave YouthBuild PCS qualified to perform deconstruction work in residential and commercial settings.

 

Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS)

YouthBuild PCS offers computer instruction to prepare students for the Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) exam. This comprehensive, performance-based certification is provided by Microsoft to validate desktop computer skills in the Microsoft Office desktop productivity programs: Word, Excel, Outlook, Power Point, Office Access, and Office Project. Earning a MOUS certification helps YouthBuild PCS students differentiate themselves in today's competitive job market and to broaden their employment opportunities.