Builders wanted in No. Nevada

A regional builders association is sponsoring a hiring event in Carson City to attract new workers to the construction industry.

Representatives of local contractors will interview applicants at the Tuesday event and offer some jobs, said Rick DeMar, chief executive officer of the Builders Association of Western Nevada.

The job fair also gives inexperienced workers the opportunity to join an educational program while they work. The Learn While You Earn program, provided through the Nevada Center for Vocational Education and Research, trains students in the skills they need to succeed in the construction industry while they are working in the field.

Applicants need only to have willingness to work, and not necessarily any previous experience in the building trades, DeMar said.

"It's an educational program, its whole purpose is to teach," he said. "It's necessary. It's what we do."

The program offers safety training and basic skill training to those over the age of 18.

Carl Dahlen, program coordinator, said four contractors so far have expressed interest in hiring these students. The jobs are expected to come through the builders association. DeMar said the students can expect to be hired by a participating contractor at a lower rate than more experienced workers, "however, there are incremental increases as their level of value increases."

Monda Griffin, office manager for the Nevada Center, said eight workers have been accepted into the program, which can hold 20. It begins in mid-May. The Nevada Center is an office-campus training site for Western Nevada Community College and is a satellite center for the University of Nevada, Reno. Its master trainer is the construction manager for Kit Carson Development in Gardnerville.

"Most the guys who come in are looking to do something with their lives," she said. "They don't want to hang out at the beach anymore. They have families now and they want to do something.

"Anybody out there who wants to be in a job in a field that will continue to grow - we can get you there. We'll find you a place to work, get you a decent honorable wage and a good employer that will treat you with respect."

The program requires two hours daily of class time after at least six hours of work and a weekly lab time.

• Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.

If you go

What: Nevada JobConnect hiring event for construction workers

Where: 1929 N. Carson St., the JobConnect office at the Frontier Plaza

When: 9 a.m.-noon Tuesday

For information: Contact Builders Association of Western Nevada at 882-4353, or the Nevada Center for Vocational Education and Research at 265-2818.