Northeast Ohio Carpenters Apprenticeship Contest

The carpentry students of the Cleveland Job Corps Center’s United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC), had a chance to showcase their talents as well as developand enhance their skills at the Northeast Ohio Carpenters Apprenticeship Contest held Wednesday, April 26, 2017. Cleveland Job Corps Instructors David Lummus, and Daniel Volpe, accompanied and supervised carpentry students as they assisted in the set-up of contestant work areas, helped where necessary and erected a wood framed house display for the annual competition.

For the past ten years, the Richfield Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) has welcomed the Job Corps carpenters to the event. The Work-Based Learning Service Learning Project allows Cleveland Job Corps pre-apprentice students the opportunity to work side by side with JATC instructors and fourth-year apprentices for approximately one week leading up to the main event. On the day of the contest, the students are given the opportunity to meet contestants and instructors from the local training center in Northeast Ohio, local and state-wide carpentry contractors, and business representatives from the Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters.

The one-day event hosts 24 fourth-year apprentices, each representing the Northeast Ohio Training Center in one of six events. The first-place finishers in these six categories go on to compete in the Tri-State competition. The events included: Concrete Formwork, Interior Finish (trim work and cabinet installation), Interior Systems (metal stud and drywall) and Residential House Building, Floor covering and Millwright (machinery installation). Top honors were awarded at the end of an eight-hour work day to the contestants who complete his or her project according to plans, specifications and with the highest quality of craftsmanship. More than 300 vendors, suppliers, colleges, technical schools, high schools, representatives and union officials were in attendance on the day of the event. This was a great opportunity for area high school students to learn about the Cleveland Job Corps Carpentry program before possibly enrolling in Job Corps.