Five individuals completed the Leflore Energy Apprentice Program after spending eight weeks learning job safety, and work readiness, as well as providing 250 hours of free home improvement to members of the Greenwood community.
Dan Splaingard, the director of the program run by Delta Design Build Solutions, handed out certificates at a ceremony Friday at the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce building.
Participants in the LEAP program were able to learn basic construction, safety and work management skills. Apprentices worked Tuesday through Friday for 32 hours with a weekly $150 stipend, and got a bonus for completing the program.
For the 2017 program, Splaingard said he wanted to focus on improving 16 houses with needs such as window and door repair, patching holes and installing air-conditioner unit covers, plus a community project at the Mississippi Department of Human Services office on Mississippi 7.
LEAP began based on two different needs in the region: House energy efficiency and the skill gap in the construction industry. Homes in the Greenwood area leak a lot of energy, and homeowners waste a lot of money on energy, Splaingard said.
The program also focused on work readiness assistance with the help of a job coach, Amy Rainey, who set up tours and interviews with Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. and Viking Range. Apprentices worked on interview skills and building a resumé to prepare them for the workforce.
“Sometimes getting a job is more than just getting your resumé on paper,” Splaingard said. “It’s getting your world in order so you can show up on the job, ready.”
As of Friday, one apprentice had already started a new job and others had leads or follow-ups, he said.
Training followed a curriculum set by the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation, which helps prepare individuals going into the workforce to become builders in the state, according to Splaingard. This included both hands-on activities and classroom training.
Some of the things the apprentices learned included work safety, identifying tools on a worksite, building their own silk screen, sawhorse, and bench and reading blueprints.
The group also worked on projects throughout the community such as building a playground for the Boys & Girls Club and building a picnic courtyard for the Mississippi Department of Human Services office.
Kendrick Brown, a recent Mississippi Valley State University graduate, joined the program for the experience and to meet professional people in a professional environment, he said.
“I learned how to work with other people, communicate with others and work as a team to get something done,” Brown said.
Angela Curry, executive director of the Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Economic Development Foundation, which is a partner of the LEAP program, said she is proud of everyone who has worked on or helped with this project.
“We covered a lot of bases on a very short timeline, the hands-on training, the job and workforce development aspect of it as well as the social support that was provided,” Curry said.
“ We are proud of the participants for being bold enough and curious enough to even participate in this program.”
• Contact Lauren Randall at 581-7239 or lrandall@gwcommonwealth.com.
