Erie County Community College launches 'hands-on' construction class. How to apply

The Erie County Community College has launched a construction trades course for residents eager to learn about ― and to eventually enter ― the construction industry.

The five-week, summer course is similar to the first months of a trade school program, but it is introductory and fully cost-free for Erie County residents, according to Rebecca Walker, dean of Career and Technical Education at the Erie County Community College.

“The idea is to give participants a taste of the variety of areas of construction that they can go into; cover some important safety training needed for all construction trades; and then get them connected to a local employer to get some experience right away,” Walker said.

“In this way, they will get into the field and learn hands-on ― before they pick a ‘pathway,’ such as an electrical focus, or plumbing, or carpentry ― if they want to pursue further education.”

Who’s the course for?

The course, which is a non-credit course spanning 144 instructional hours, doesn’t require a high school diploma and is for adults who might have some or no background in construction trades.

Walker said the course can serve as a “feeder” for regional union trade schools or apprenticeship programs. She stressed that the course is introductory and is not a comprehensive program like those offered at trade schools.

“There are good trade schools in the area, and our county’s three career and technical centers offer excellent construction trades programs for high school students that are more robust than this introductory course EC3 is offering,” Walker said. “This program will fill an additional gap for adults who want to learn about the trades who may have no experience in construction at all.”

How is the course funded?

The course is made possible by the Whole-Home Repairs grant that Erie County received from the state Department of Community and Economic Development. The grant requires funding toward construction-related workforce development.

"Through the grant and our partnership with EC3, we are able to invest in a workforce development program that will provide a pipeline of trained workers for the construction industry,” said Abby Heidt, the county’s Housing Rehabilitation Program administrator.

“Ultimately, the Construction Trades Training Program at EC3 is a great partnership that will benefit the contractors that will be making the much need repairs to homes identified by our Whole-Home Repairs program.”

Whole-Homes is a program that focuses on enhancing the living conditions of single-family, owner-occupied residences for low- and moderate-income individuals and families. This program offers funding for exterior property rehabilitation.

When is the course?

The course runs from July 8 to Aug. 8; Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The course will be taught at the Erie County Community College West, at 2403 W. 8th Street in Erie.

How to apply?

Interested participants can apply online at bit.ly/ConstructionTradesEC3 or call 814-413-7054 or email kgetschow@ec3pa.org.

Residents can attend any one of the following information sessions on the course at Erie County Community College West in Classroom 8: June 3, 9-10 a.m.; June 17, 9-10 a.m.; and June 18, 6-7 p.m.

A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on X @ETNRao.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie County Community College construction trades class