Future N.B. carpenters to build 5 Habitat for Humanity homes through new on-the-job training course

Fifteen future carpenters will build five new homes for people in need with a training course through the Carpenter Millwright College and Habitat for Humanity.

It’s a new idea to try and get more carpenters into the New Brunswick workforce to help the ongoing housing and skilled trades shortage.

The land for the five homes is located at the end of Cuffman Street on Fredericton’s north side, across from a new elementary school.

College-age students will spend 20 weeks in the classroom and 32 weeks on site, working and learning alongside Red Seal carpenters.

The aim is for foundations to be completed by the end of 2024. Students will work on the walls through the winter and the homes to be finished sometime in 2025.

“It looks like we've come up with a really good solution here. It's going to help with the labour. It's going to help with the housing. I’m really proud of this,” said James Dawson, president of Local 1386, which represents carpenters and millwrights.

According to the province, 10,000 skilled trades workers will be needed in the construction sector over the next decade.

Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers says she’s expressed her concern about the shortage to the province.

“I said, ‘Minister, it's all for naught if we don't have the people to build them.’ And again, these programs exist, but you just can't turn on a dime,” she said.

When the idea of Habitat for Humanity helping train carpentry students – while also building more homes – Rogers says the city was happy to provide the land.

A Habitat for Humanity New Brunswick sign. (Source: Laura Brown/CTV News Atlantic)

Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Greg Turner announced the province is providing $276,000 to help with the initiative. He also promised the money isn’t tied to the Blaine Higgs government’s re-election.

He says while it’s a pilot program this year, it could become permanent.

“For many, many years, we were training people, but they were leaving to get the jobs out west or in central Ontario. So now they see they can stay at home, they can stay in New Brunswick, they can make a great living and have a great career working right here in New Brunswick,” he said.

The city has donated 10 plots of land on the city’s north side. Five will be developed over the next year, with the hope the training course gets the green light to continue and another five will be added the following year.

Perry Kendall, CEO of Habitat for Humanity New Brunswick, is pictured. (Source: Laura Brown/CTV News Atlantic)

Perry Kendall, CEO of Habitat for Humanity New Brunswick, says they’ve had trouble finding skilled workers to build their homes.

“The need has never been larger where we're, anytime we announce a new project, we're receiving more interest and more applications than we ever have before,” he said.

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