By EMILY REED / Special to the Reporter

COLUMBIANA – The Alabama Home Builders Foundation is partnering with the Shelby County College and Career Center to offer a free basic residential carpentry course to adults.

The free class will cover the basics of residential carpentry such as safety, construction layout, reading blueprints, framing, window and door installation, and siding and exterior trim.

“This class is geared toward adults that may not be able to attend college, but they will be able to get the skills needed to work on a job site,” said Alabama Home Builders Foundation Director Artemis Moore. “We saw a need on our side to get people trained for this industry. We know there have been issues with unemployment and people being able to get jobs, so we offer these classes as a way for anyone interested to gain the necessary skills for employment.”

The course will take place on Tuesday and Thursday nights from Feb. 16 through April 18 at Shelby County College and Career Center, located on Highway 70 in Columbiana.

Those who successfully complete the course will receive a certification of completion from the Home Builders Association of Alabama, Moore said.

The program is open to both men and women 18-years-of-age and older, and will be taught by Van White.

“We have 15 spots available, and we consider this a great opportunity for those interested to really network and meet people in this career field,” Moore said. “We are not looking for people interested in learning how to remodel their kitchen, we are looking for people who are wanting to find jobs in the field of carpentry”

Moore said this is one of five programs throughout the state being offered with courses also being taught in Limestone County, Gadsden, North Baldwin County and a class in Montgomery.

Although an exact figure is unknown, Moore estimates about 50 percent of the individuals who attend the course go on to find a job in a related field.

“With the housing market on the upswing and the construction workforce aging, there is an ever-increasing need for qualified, skilled tradespeople entering the home building industry,” said Foundation board member Todd Slyman in a release. “The Alabama Home Builders Foundation is excited to partner with trade schools around the state to help fill that gap through education initiatives such as our carpentry program. The students who complete the program earn a certificate and gain valuable skills that will prepare them for entering the building workforce, and our industry gains more skilled carpenters, a trade which is always in demand.”

Spaces are still available for the class, and interested applicants have until Feb. 9 to register.

For more details about the program, or to register, contact Artemis Moore at 1-800-745-4222 or email artemismoore@hbaa.org.