Students from the Building Construction Trades Program at Vo-Tech enter a newly built house. (By Zoe Albert/Student contributor)
By CASSIDY MILLER
Student contributor
Students in the Building Construction Trades Program at the Oil City Venango Technology Center have been working hard on a 1456 square feet. modular Cape Cod house that is currently up for bid to the community.
Students in the program have worked on building the house for the last few years.
Jared Huffman, a junior from Cranberry High School, says that the program gives him “an opportunity to have a job in the building trades.”
Jared went on to say, “I won’t have to hire somebody to work on my house in the future.”
Jai Hoobler, who has been teaching the Building Construction Trades Program for the past few years, worked in home construction years prior to becoming an instructor at the Vo-Tech. He brings with him the experience of building close to 20 houses in his former career.
Hoobler says that he loves the satisfaction involved in his field: “It’s an instant reward, you can look at what you did at the end of the day and see the changes.”
He hopes that the course teaches his students to be proud of their work and to have a good work ethic moving forward.
Next year, Hoobler hopes to move towards building “tiny homes,” houses with typically between 100 and 400 square feet.
For now, the team of students in the morning and afternoon Building Construction Trades Program are busy completing final touches, preparing the current home to leave the Vo-Tech site.
The house is currently available to bid on until 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24.
The winning bid will be awarded on Feb. 3rd, pending Joint Committee approval.
The house will be finished by the end of the school year and ready to be sent to its permanent location.
For the specifications of the house and all bidding information, visit the Vo-Tech website at www.vtc1.org.
Jared Huffman, a Cranberry High School junior, uses a new saw for the first time on the housing project. (By Zoe Albert/Student contributor)
Luke Glass, a senior from Titusville High School, carries supplies into the house. (By Zoe Albert/Student contributor)
Cole Ploss, from Titusville High School, installs a light in a room using skills learned in the Building Construction Trades Program at Vo-Tech. (By Zoe Albert/Student contributor)
Braden Rekiel, from Cranberry High School, helps cut trim while students work on the house built by the Building Construction Trades Program at Vo-Tech. (By Zoe Albert/Student contributor)
Students from the Building Construction Trades Program stand in front of the house. (By Zoe Albert/Student contributor)
Instructor Jai Hoobler helps students set up equipment to cut trim needed to finish the house. (By Zoe Albert/Student contributor)
Cassidy Miller and Zoe Albert are students at Cranberry High School and members of Cranberry Chronicles, the school’s journalism/publications class.
