Carpenter Trainees Build Relationships

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

After three months of carpentry, math and job readiness training, seven DC residents graduated last Thursday from the DC DOES-funded Carpenters Employment Training Program at Phelps High School in the District’s Northeast. The graduates learned about the tools of the trade and safely used them to build quality bookcases and tool boxes - some of which were donated to the school. "This program was very helpful!" said graduate Melvin Knight, "I learned a lot about the trade and look forward to becoming a carpenter!” Asked what he built at the program, graduate Raymond Whittington replied enthusiastically, "I built relationships - I learned skills for life." Instructors Paul Isom, from the Baltimore Carpentry School, and Kevin Hughes, from DC Joint Carpentry Apprenticeship Committee, received rave reviews from training participants with whom - day in and day out - they shared their craft and love of the trade. Grads also expressed their appreciation for Yvette De La Cruz, a consultant for the Community Services Agency, who spearheaded the job readiness component and prepared participants to be successful in today's workplace. "Thanks to the instructors, DC-DOES, the Community Services Agency, and the school that hosted us, for making this program a huge success!" added Whittington. – report by Sylvia Casaro Dietert; photo: graduates present a bookcase to Phelps High School Principal Michael Johnson (second from right); photo by Yvette De La Cruz