GADSDEN COUNTY, FL — Inside the Building Maintenance and Management program at Gadsden Technical College, students are putting their lessons to work on an actual home rather than just learning in a classroom.
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Since the program launched in August, students have taken on every phase of the build, from the foundation to the finishing touches, working side by side with local contractors. They tell me seeing where they are today is very rewarding.
"My experience has been great from the start. From seeing it come on up from point one, the blocks and coming on up as far as learning the measurements, the flooring, the basic knowledge of seeing the home completed," Isaiah Mitchell said.
That hands-on approach is giving students a clearer path after graduation, with skills they can immediately use on job sites and opportunities to move up in the industry.
"Students through this program have been learning how to build a house from the ground up. And it’s been an exceptional experience. So when these students are done working on this house, they can go out into the industry and to the community and start working for themselves and entrepreneurs, so the program goes from basic skills to carpentry level skills, and they can get a job and be successful working in the construction industry," Kerwyn Jones-Wilson said.
The home is now about 80 percent complete, and once it is finished, students will help put it up for sale, learning not just how to build, but how the business side works, too.
A portion of that sale, around 20 percent, will go back into the program, helping fund future projects for the next group of students.
"This is a great opportunity to receive a certificate that tells you that you are capable of being a plumber, an electrician, a carpenter, and deal with basic HVAC, so it’s really four sets of skills in one," Willie Jackson said.
The timing matters. Gadsden County is currently short about 760 apartment units, according to the Florida Apartment Association, making projects like this one part of a bigger push to expand housing options.
For the students leading the work, this is not just a class project. It is a chance to graduate with real experience, industry connections, and a finished home they can point to as their own.
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