Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Colorado College Uses Grants to Add Construction Program

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 01/12/22

A public technical college in Colorado will be launching a new construction trades certification program that will give students experience in building affordable housing. Development of the "Delta-Montrose Building Affordable Homes & Skilled Workforce" program at Technical College of the Rockies is being funded by two grants: one from the state's Rural Economic Development Initiative for $195,628 and the other from the Western Colorado Community Foundation for $50,000. The college is working with the region's Habitat for Humanity affiliate.

Expected to launch in the fall, the program will offer short-term certification courses in the residential construction process, including excavation, framing, drywall, paint/finish work and landscaping, all the way through passing final inspections and earning a certificate of occupancy. Students will gain practical experience at Habitat worksites, where they'll help in building affordable homes, alongside volunteers and prospective home owners.

The new offerings will build on existing programs in heating and air conditioning and electrical work. The first is a one-year program leading to a technician credential. The second is a two-year apprenticeship program, for licensing as a journeyman electrician.

All that's needed, the school noted in a press release, is a program coordinator to schedule on-site training and to work with local high schools in setting up pathways for students who aren't "college-bound."

"I am excited about receiving this grant and the opportunities it will help us launch. The focus of this project is to meet two goals; one is to help provide local folks with the skills, knowledge and training to earn short-term credentials and be able to enter the high-demand, high-wage construction industry," said Allen Golden, director of the college, in a statement. "The second goal is to do so while helping solve the growing issue of a shortage of affordable housing in our service area. I look forward to using this grant to launch this partnership with Habitat for Humanity, in an effort that I believe will be replicable for other areas around the state as well!"

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Universities Continue to Launch Multimillion-Dollar Campus Transformations

    What makes the current wave of campus development especially noteworthy is its emphasis on multi-use functionality and community integration. Institutions are no longer investing solely in academic or athletic facilities in isolation. Instead, they are creating destinations that blend recreation, health, housing, and event-driven economic activity.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.

  • Quattrocchi Kwok Architects Opens New Office in Denver

    Education planning and design firm Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) recently announced that it has opened a new office in Denver, Colo., the firm’s third overall. QKA is headquartered in Santa Rosa, Calif., and runs an East Bay Area office in Oakland.

  • University of Illinois Moves Forward with College Sports’ Largest Digital Scoreboard

    The University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill., recently announced a series of upgrades to Gies Memorial Stadium that will include the largest scoreboard in college sports, according to a news release.