ABC’s West Tennessee Chapter (WTCABC) July 31 received a $7,100 grant from the Trimmer Education Foundation, ABC’s educational affiliate, to continue training 11 minority and women students in basic carpentry skills.  

In January, WTCABC was contacted by member company Caroma Construction and a representative from McCormack Baron Salazar, who also managed a program for the Memphis Housing Authority designed to revitalize two of the most dangerous housing projects in Memphis.  The revitalization project required former residents to be employed before they would be allowed to return to their refurbished homes. WTCABC was asked to design a short-term training program that would provide basic construction skills at no cost to the students enrolled in the program. As part of the deal, WTCABC member companies Caroma Construction and Zellner Construction agreed to hire some of the program participants who could meet basic qualifications.   

The training program was scheduled to run between April and August and cover the curriculum for the first semester of WTCABC’s carpentry training course.  With the Trimmer Education Foundation grant, all 11 students will be able to continue on to the second semester of training and complete the one-year Basic Carpentry curriculum that will prepare them to enter Advanced Carpentry training in the future, making them even more marketable in the industry.  

WTCABC extended the length of the training program to help the students brush up on their construction math skills.  In addition, the chapter partnered with the RISE Foundation, a nonprofit that assists residents in public housing, to provide financial literacy instruction and free financial counseling for a year, and partnered with a member company to donate the time and resources for each student to complete the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s 10-hour training.  

"This program is a collaboration between private business and not-for-profits that addresses multiple needs and fulfills more than one mission,” said Mike Carpenter, president of WTCABC. “We're expanding the construction workforce, providing opportunities for minorities and women, and empowering people through financial literacy education.  In the process, we're doing our part to deal with the pervasive poverty plaguing our community.”  

For more information, contact Mike Carpenter with WTCABC, mike@wtcabc.org.