Construction Students from the AMSC of Edmonds College Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Snohomish County

Juan Santillano and Saul Ordonez, Construction pre-Apprenticeship Program (CAP) students with the Advanced Manufacturing Skills Center (AMSC) of Edmonds College, pull up old floorboard as part of their volunteer demo work with Housing for Humanity of Snohomish County. (photo credit: Edmonds College).

Students who attend and participate in the 10-week Construction pre-Apprenticeship Program (CAP) put in 300 hours of rigorous training to earn an AMSC badge of completion, which can lead to sought-after apprenticeships – or direct entry-level jobs – in the trades. That training also provides invaluable experience when helping those in the community, from building tiny houses for people experiencing homelessness in Snohomish County to fundraising efforts supporting educational initiatives at Edmonds College. As an extension of that community service, CAP students recently volunteered to help with a home rehabilitation project in Everett for Habitat for Humanity of Snohomish County.

The “Bayside Habitat Home” is the regional Habitat for Humanity’s first major rehabilitation project since 2019. The organization is partnering with a young family of five by helping them procure the 1915 house, update it, and achieve an opportunity for housing stability. The project is also noteworthy due to its neighborhood revitalization efforts – taking an older home in disrepair and giving it new life, thereby improving the aesthetics of the immediate area.

The majority of the work completed by the CAP student volunteers involved demolition, which included tearing out old floor and wall boards, reclaiming select material for future projects, dismantling a dilapidated chain link fence, and building a new, secure enclosure to manage the flow of building materials.

The project served as a real-life training opportunity where students could apply skills learned at the AMSC while bringing back valuable lessons from their hands-on experience. Chris Anderson, Habitat for Humanity’s construction manager with more than eight years of service, started the day by setting expectations for the CAP volunteers to ensure everyone stayed on task and completed a set of goals, which is key to managing site workflow. 

“The experience with Habitat for Humanity was really cool,” said Caden Connors, CAP student and project volunteer. “The physical conditioning we got through CAP helped since we worked many hours to tear out the floor. It was also awesome to know that my work will directly benefit a family who’ll move into this home.”

The “Bayside Habitat Home” is scheduled to be finished and move-in ready by spring 2024. There is still more down-to-the-studs demolition work that needs to be completed before the Habitat for Humanity construction crew and volunteers begin the rebuilding process, which includes adding a 300-square-foot addition to the more than 600-square-foot structure.

“Depending on the length of time and type of work needed to complete the Habitat for Humanity project, we hope that future classes are afforded an opportunity to volunteer as well,” said Rikki Pierotti, the associate director of trades & training at the AMSC. “Before they graduate, it’s important that we provide our CAP students with real-world experience so they’re job-ready or better prepared for an apprenticeship. When we can directly and positively change the life of a family in the process, it’s much more rewarding.” 

The next AMSC CAP class is scheduled to begin on Jan. 16, 2024. The modified session will provide dedicated ESL-integrated language and support services for students. Select spots are still available. For more details, visit edmonds.edu/stapprenticeship.