The Saint Joseph’s Building and Trades Program is a groundbreaking partnership project dedicated to advancing the education, training, and career progression of youth and underrepresented individuals in residential construction.

Educational partners, along with a consortium of local manufacturing and construction businesses, have rallied together to address a pressing issue: the acute shortage of skilled workers in the construction industry which continues to pose a threat to the industry’s capacity to meet the burgeoning demand for new housing. And with a strategic collaboration with the Central Midwest Carpenters, we will make significant strides towards cultivating a diverse and skilled talent pipeline in Northwest Indiana.

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This Program will:

• Forge connections with local organizations

• Promote construction careers in schools

• Provide hands-on learning, soft-skills training, and job search assistance

• Offer the invaluable opportunity of mentorship from a team of seasoned construction management professionals

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The Building and Trades programs focuses on project-based, hands-on learning where students will build a house on Saint Joe property to be later offered for sale to the public. This approach not only makes learning more engaging but also ensures students understand how their skills apply in real-world scenarios.

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Our students will learn how to:

• Build the framing for the floor joists, subflooring, walls and roof

• Enclose the structure with sheathing and shingling the roof

• Install plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems

• Install insulation, drywall, flooring and other fixtures

• And more!​​