The Texas Workforce Commission has awarded Blinn College a $ 195,000 building and construction grant to help establish new plumbing and joinery programs on the RELLIS campus.
Blinn expects both programs to begin in June 2017.
“This grant will fund the tools and materials needed to establish world-class plumbing and joinery programs with nationally recognized curricula,” said Jay Anderson, dean of technical and community education.
In addition to financing tools and materials, the scholarship also finances scholarships for students. Blinn plans to offer its plumbing and carpenter programs from June. The scholarship also offers scholarships for both programs as well as for Blinn’s electrician program at the Highway 60 Workforce Education Center in Bryan.
Demand for both programs continues to grow locally and across the country. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, national plumber demand is expected to grow 12 percent between 2014 and 2024, creating 49,100 additional jobs with an average wage of $ 50,620 per year. Workforce Solutions Brazos Valley expects local growth of 17 percent over the same period with hourly wages between $ 12.17 and $ 21.27.
National demand for carpenters is expected to grow 6 percent between 2014 and 2024, creating 60,400 jobs nationwide with an average salary of $ 42,090 per year. Workforce Solutions Brazos Valley expects local growth of 14.5 percent over the same period with hourly wages between $ 11.65 and $ 18.
Blinn’s plumbing and carpentry programs are based on the National Center for Building Education and Research (NCCER) curriculum. This nationally recognized curriculum was developed in collaboration with more than 125 builders, representatives of trade associations and academic executives. Students who take these courses receive the OSHA’s 10-hour construction certificate. the NCCER Core Construction Certificate; the NCCER Level I Certificate for Plumbing; and the Graduation Certificate from Blinn College.
The carpentry program includes 155 contact hours for qualification and evaluation of building materials, fasteners and adhesives. Hand tools and power tools; Construction drawings, specifications and layout; Floor systems; Wall systems; Ceiling and roof frames; Building envelope systems; and basic stair arrangement. The program also includes a 10-hour OSHA construction training course on how to identify, avoid, reduce and prevent safety and health risks in the workplace, as well as 75 hours of qualification and assessment in basic safety, construction math, hand tools, power tools and construction drawings, basic rigging, Communication skills, employability and material handling. Students who successfully complete the program will receive the NCCER Carpentry Level I certificate. Your ratings will be entered as Carpentry Level I Completer in the NCCER National Registry.
The plumbing program includes 145 contact hours for qualification training and assessments for introductory plumbing installations. Plumbing tools; Plumbing math; Plumbing drawings; Plastic pipes and fittings; Copper pipe and fittings; Cast iron pipes and fittings; Steel pipes and fittings; Fittings; Drainage, waste and ventilation systems; and water distribution systems. The program also includes a 10-hour OSHA construction training course on how to identify, avoid, reduce and prevent safety and health risks in the workplace, as well as 75 hours of qualification and assessment in basic safety, construction math, hand tools, power tools and construction drawings, basic rigging, Communication skills, employability and material handling.
Students who successfully complete the program will receive the NCCER Plumbing Level I certificate, and their assessments will be entered in the NCCER National Registry as a Plumbing Level I degree.
Blinn’s 19-week plumbing and 20-week carpentry program includes eight contact hours per week.
“By offering Level 1 and Level 2, Blinn provides training to students with a variety of skills without duplicating the construction trade programs offered by Bryan ISD and College Station ISD,” said Anderson. “These programs will improve the skills of seasoned students while providing high quality introductory courses for beginners in the construction industry.”
Blinn is currently accepting applications for plumbing and carpentry teachers. Both jobs are posted on the Blinn website at https://employment.blinn.edu and require a minimum of three years of work experience. Plumbing teachers must be licensed journeyman or master plumber.
In December 2016, Blinn and TEEX announced a memorandum of understanding setting out their partnership to meet Brazos County’s growing demand for workforce training programs. Under the agreement, TEEX and Blinn will work together to provide training for the target occupations specifically identified by the Workforce Solutions Brazos Valley Board and confirmed by each institution’s market research regarding training needs in Brazos Valley.
Blinn’s placement rate for worker education has exceeded 90 percent for three years, and its pass rate for state entrance exams was 89.74 percent for the final academic year. Blinn is committed to training 33 Targeted Professions (97%) on Workforce Solutions Brazos Valley’s Targeted Professions List published in October 2016, including all seven Targeted Professions with an hourly wage of $ 30 or more and the 10 positions with the highest number of jobs Openings per year with a total of 550 annual positions. Of the 28 programs that Blinn currently offers, 27 are in Brazos County.
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