Workforce Development
Wood Technology Center brings hope and opportunity to Seattle youth by Janelle Guthrie Communications Director
BIAW members frequently share their passion for residential construction as well as the frustration that comes from a widespread shortage of skilled trades people looking for work. A group of builders and remodelers in the King County area hope to make a difference. They’re not only sharing their knowledge and expertise, but providing opportunities for the next generation of workers to learn the skills necessary to join their teams.
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While the Wood Technology Center (WTC) in Seattle’s Central District opened in 2013, the first cohort of the Residential Construction program started just this fall. The one-year program, one of five micropathways at Seattle Central, started on Sept. 29.
“The goal is to provide a lot of different onramps so people of all backgrounds can find an entry point to a career in construction.” Students receive in-person instruction each Wednesday of the quarter for roughly three hours. They also attend classes in the Core Shop on three Saturdays during the quarter for four to five hours at a time. This in-person learning is coupled with online curriculum to allow students to work, take care of their families or do other things while in the program.
The goal is to provide a lot of different onramps so people of all backgrounds can find an entry point to a career in construction. —Courtenay Gebhardt, Blue Sound Construction Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) members Courtenay Gebhardt of Blue Sound Construction and Amy Ecklund of AmyWorks co-chair Seattle Central's Wood Technology Center (WTC) Technical Advisory Committee.
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Together with Laura Elfline of Mighty House Construction, Teri McDermott of CRD Design Build, Erich Armbruster of Ashworth Homes and other local builders and remodelers, Gebhardt and Ecklund helped develop Seattle Central’s latest micro-pathway: Residential Construction.
building insight
“This is the first program WTC has offered that specifically targets an earn-and-learn offering, where we expect skills to be supplemented with working during the day,” Gebhardt said.
Blue Sound Construction employee, Brian Bender, is one of the carpenters enrolled in the evening course.
