Gerald Hanks
Students at the Lone Star College North Harris campus are getting the opportunity to train for skilled labor jobs to also help themselves and their neighbors rebuild after Hurricane Harvey.
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The college’s new Construction and Skilled Trades Technology Center is scheduled for its grand opening at the end of October.
Its facility, which covers 55,000-square-feet and hosted a groundbreaking ceremony last June, will offer courses in electrical technology, HVAC repair, pipefitting and field service.
The grand opening is set to feature demonstrations by faculty members, but many students are already taking advantage of the training the center offers.
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Eric Arjon, a Lone Star student displaced by the storm, spoke in an interview with a local TV station about the importance of the program:
“As soon as Harvey finished, that’s when we came in,” Arjon said in the interview. “It’s very important we all work on it together and start bringing Houston back up.”
Arjon further spoke on how the new facility will get students ready for the jobs already in high demand, as residents seek to reclaim their homes and vehicles from the storm damage:
“If I can do it myself, why pay for someone else?” Arjon said in the interview. “Instead of hiring someone, I’m going to learn, I’m going to do it myself.”
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School president Gerald Napoles additionally spoke on how the new facility will help the Houston community get back on its feet.
“A lot of people are looking for skilled workers,” Napoles said in the interview. “Our students who graduate are going to be the same people who are going to help rebuild homes and businesses so we can be bigger, better and stronger.”
