More than 400 junior and senior high school students from across Florida’s First Coast received a behind the scenes look at how professional craftsmen and builders transform seemingly desolate dirt lots into beautiful, solid homes complete with white picket fences and lush tropical landscaping.
Hosted by Palencia, what may have been the nation’s largest Builders Youth Day matched real world examples to a varied lineup of apprenticeship opportunities including: carpentry, masonry, plumbing, electrical engineering and interior design.
The program is one of only 10 pilot projects nationwide selected by the Home Builders Institute, the workforce development arm of the National Association of Home Builders, to increase recruitment into residential construction trades. This project was funded by a grant awarded under the President’s High Growth Job Training Initiative, as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.
Volunteers and staff from St. Johns River Community College, members of the local builders association, the association’s the sales and marketing council and area homebuilder’s were on hand to lead the students through construction site tours, and answer questions about every step of the process from slab prep, framing and drywall installation, to the wiring, masonry and interior design of the finished home.
“One of the major issues facing our industry is recruiting and training a skilled workforce,” said NEFBA Immediate Past President and Brylen Homes President Bryan Lendry. “The Builders Youth Day at Palencia is a great step in the right direction to meet that need.”
The community college teamed with Palencia for the event in hopes it would gain more students for its construction apprenticeships.
“We want to get students enthused about construction because it’s vital to our economy,” said Anna Lebesch, vice president of SJRCC workforce development.
Randy Brunson, chairman of the St. Johns County Builders Council, agrees.
He said the council is also starting programs to get students involved in the industry. The initiative is necessary to keep up with the county’s growth, he said.
“There’s (construction) jobs here for the next 25 years with (developments) already on the books,” he said. “It can be a very lucrative business, and students need to see that.”
Schools from St. Johns, Baker, Duval, Clay County Counties and Job Corps students participated in the half-day event. Arriving by bus at the Palencia’s Village Center, students were each given bottled water, white hardhats and t-shirts with the Palencia logo. From there they were led on a short walking tour of the community’s village green with views of the golf course and homes along Promenade Point.
“It was an exciting day, to share a little about what our industry does and can mean as a career to these young people,” said Lane Gardner, Palencia’s project manager.
After a quick stop at the adjacent athletic complex, students and their assigned tour guides loaded back onto their buses for a little sightseeing. Each group was matched with a trade representative, spokesperson and ambassador from a specific area of expertise to correspond with the students’ interests.
Schools with a heavy focus on the construction trades were dropped off at in-progress sites within Sebastian Square and Monterey for a closer look at the homebuilding process in two of Palencia’s most popular neighborhoods.
Professionals from different trades such as Mark Nechvatal of Allied Electrical spoke to the students. He said construction’s well of employees is dry because not enough students are going into the industry.
“I’m lucky to get two high school students a year,” he said of his 175 total employees. “To be honest, I don’t think the kids know how to work anymore. It’s computers, video games, they just don’t go outside.”
Nechvatal said having high school classes in construction trades will stir up interest in the vocation.
Meanwhile, students with an interest in interior design were bused to the Vista Norte and Canterra neighborhoods where they were given the opportunity to tour fully furnished and merchandised models by Panitz Signature Homes. Judith Sisler, founder and president of Sisler Johnston Interior Design, was available to answer questions and impart industry tips to the eager teens.
“We were really excited to have these future designers and builders visit our model home in Palencia,” noted Sandra Panitz, vice president of sales and marketing for Panitz Homes.
“We invited all construction and design students from Baker, Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties,” said Laura Laseman, training director for local builders association. “Our intent is to keep kids interested in construction as a career, to show them all of the aspects of the industry, and to get them fired up.”
Laseman said that Palencia is an ideal site comprising of approximately 2,200 acres and 2,400 residential units including, single-family homes, condominiums, live/work units, and town homes. More than 300,000 square feet of ancillary retail and office space round out the mix.
“We had experts from many areas, so that we can connect kids to their areas of career interest,” said Lee Arsenault of The Vintage Group, one of the program’s partners and a builder in Palencia. “We have had a phenomenal response from people in the industry who wanted to volunteer – and Palencia stepped up to fulfill a critical role.”
The tour ended with a hamburger and hot dog luncheon courtesy of Lumber Unlimited.
Participating schools included Pedro Menendez High School, Englewood High School, Orange Park High School, Ridgeview High School, Bartram Trail High School, Keystone Heights High School, Middleburg High School, Fleming Island High School, and Baker County High.