Pacific Northwest Carpenters Institute

After the staff depart on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, the sun will set on Willamette Carpenters Training Center, Inc, doing business as the Pacific Northwest Carpenters Institute. The merger, approved by the training fund's trustees, with a large network of Union Carpenter training centers in the western states will be complete.

On May 1, the sun will rise on the Southwest Mountain States Carpenter Training Fund's Oregon locations in Tangent and Portland. https://www.swmsctf.org/centers/

"Whassup?" from the fashionistos at PNCI-Tangent. They are mad about plaid, but you get to decide: who wore it best? 😊

Watch for this multi-story training structure coming to the SE corner of PNCI Portland's back lot someday. Imagine taking your fall protection class on this! Or installing a drywall shaft, building stair towers or tie-ins, or learning exterior framing! Future Apprentices are going to benefit from this innovative outdoor learning lab.

Follow Christie Architects on Instagram to watch the project's progress. Love their question, "How do you permit an unpermittable building?"

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2kpN7vPky7/?igsh=MWdxdWt4Mjhwb2x6NA==

Send a message to learn more

Congratulations to everyone who completed their apprenticeship at PNCI over this last year. We celebrate your accomplishment!

Your journey card has also earned you an Associate of Applied Science degree from Mt. Hood Community College. After studying PNCI's curriculum, MHCC has determined that your apprenticeship classes included the content that they require for an AAS degree including math, leadership, health and wellness, and business communications.
EDIT: PNCI Apprentices who journeyed out between July 1 2020 and April 30, 2024 can apply for a diploma. The dual credit agreement looked back to the curriculum available to people who finished in that window of time, so you may be included if you passed the 16 classes in your program.

Here's a copy of the postcard that was distributed at the weekend ceremonies for new journey-level professionals. Follow the instructions for ordering your diploma from mhcc.edu. Frame it and display it proudly. You earned it.

Contact MHCC Apprenticeship Advisors for assistance: https://www.mhcc.edu/.../career-pathways/apprenticeships/

Your PNCI Outreach Crew was in two states today, spreading the news about with the . We were in overcast Medford at Careers in Gear, at Dayton HS for a very rainy trades event to meet Yamhill County high school students, and checking in on two of our Career Connections partner schools (Reynolds HS in Troutdale OR and Hudson's Bay HS in Vancouver WA). We encouraged Seniors to stay focused, finish the school year strong and consider apprenticeship after graduation.

, that's our motto too!

helped 8th graders from Portland's Faubion School with a service project. The students worked in pairs, using impact drivers and hammers to put together 12 Little Libraries. They learned about PPE, proper tool use and various fasteners so they could assemble the kits safely. The libraries will be gifted to elementary schools and stocked with construction-related picture books and chapter books for K-5th grade readers.

Thanks to the Career Connected Learning staff at Portland Public Schools for including us in this community building project.

Our 24-hour Continuing Education class for Mass Timber wrapped up on Saturday. Instructors Dale and Charlene saw excellent work from learners this week. Great job!

Just for fun this Friday, some photos of instructors and staff at work and at play; teaching and learning, making connections. At PNCI we strive for excellence in the education and leadership development of our professional Carpenter workforce. We are committed to creating a positive jobsite culture and safe work environment by collaborating with our partners in the community and industry.

Portland YouthBuilders visited PNCI this week for what one pre-apprentice called "the best field trip yet!" Not that we're competitive . . .

By sharing their stories and welcoming them into classes, PNCI's awesome Apprentices and Instructors turn what could be a ho-hum tour into a memorable introduction to what the Carpenters Union is all about.

Can we hear from any PYB graduates or other members with more advice for these future apprentices?

This week in Lindberg's Ceilings class, Exterior Interior Systems Apprentices are installing a cold rolled channel ceiling with hat track. Ladders, scissor lifts and baker scaffolds are in high demand on the North Deck.

Members, do you know someone who wants to learn more about apprenticeship? Adult career changers, students and pre-apprentices are all welcome to drop by PNCI's training center in Portland on Saturday, April 20 between ten and noon. Guests will meet Ambassadors and staff and learn more about the Union Carpenters Apprenticeship program. Share on your page, please!


Registering in advance helps us plan for guests: bit.ly/PNCI-OH2024

Oregon's State Apprenticeship Expansion Equity and Innovation grant from the US Dept of Labor allowed us to take Carpenter Trades Preparation (CTP) beyond Portland to reach rural Oregonians and grow strong candidates for Registered Apprenticeship. Over the last three years, we loaded up the van and took our free, three-week pre-apprenticeship to Columbia, Deschutes, Jackson, Linn and Umatilla counties. That's how we meet Zahnika . . . and then her mom Donna.

Great interview with great apprentices!

Member Spotlight: Donna Belt and Zahnika Olsen When mother and daughter Donna Belt and Zahnika Olsen embraced a path in the trades, they paved a non-traditional way to success, leading them to a stable an...

The online application for the 19th annual summer program for high school juniors is now open. Imagine returning to high school as a career-focused senior who knows more about apprenticeship and the trades than most adults on campus!

Carpenter Trades Youth (CTY) primarily serves teens from Multnomah and adjacent counties, focusing on students who took construction-related classes and have demonstrated interest in construction. This "Earn & Learn" summer experience includes paid On-the-Job Training on a commercial jobsite and pre-apprenticeship classes. Details at https://community.pnci.org/hs-summer-youth/

Tigard High School's Construction Tech students showed up in their PPE, ready to put in some work! They are on the south deck today, building concrete columns with a /PNCI Instructor. The juniors and seniors also learned about apprenticeship as a next step option after graduation.

School field trips should be awesome!

Our Friday skill building workshops help students see how school connects to the world of work. Schools implementing the Career Connections curriculum from the Carpenters International Training Fund are our priority for Work-based Learning, teacher professional development, and CTE advisory committees.

is learning that works!

On nights and Saturdays, PNCI is hopping with Continuing Education classes. Journey level members come back for free training to update their certifications or pick up new knowledge in classes like Industrial Forklift Operator, CLT/Mass Timber, Mobile Elevating Work Platforms, Cleanroom Protocols, CPR & First Aid, and Welding Principles. Apprentices can take some courses too. Wondering when the Welding Lab is open or what you might want to take next?

Members can search for Continuing Education classes in Redmond, Tangent and Portland at https://www.pnci.org/courses.lasso. Login to enroll.

have .

The average age of PNCI's 1200+ apprentices across Oregon and SW Oregon is thirty. The young ones, however, are coming in strong from our Career Connections high school partners, UBC Job Corps, Portland Youth Builders, and our own Carpenter Trade Preparation pre-apprenticeship.

Today we have 140 apprentices who are between 18 - 21 years old and another 274 in the 22 - 25 range. We see you ! Ready to work hard. Willing to learn. Able to get the job done. And appreciating that first term apprentice starting salary of $29+ per hour.

Want to help a young person prepare for apprenticeship with the Union Carpenters? Share your perspective with them along with the Advice to Youth page from our website: https://community.pnci.org/advice-for-youth/

Let's finish Women in Construction Week with Cat and Amanda in a picture they titled "Pour Day." Looks like a memorable day - love those big smiles.

Who do you know who would thrive in a construction career? Apprenticeship at PNCI offers debt-free training, skills to pay the bills, and a fulfilling career with the Union Carpenters. Point them to https://community.pnci.org/adult-career-changers/ to learn about the five apprenticeship options at PNCI.

*Women in Construction Week Spotlight*

Pile Driver and Local 196 member Stephanie introduces the Abernethy Bridge project and explains "I build bridges and I do reservoirs and big things. That's what I do for a living." Steph is also a part-time welding instructor at PNCI. https://youtu.be/711JlY-k_qc?si=CCTl_mIzXlhzirxz

I-205's Abernethy Bridge will be the first earthquake-ready highway bridge over the Willamette River in the Portland metro area. PNCI's Carpenter and Pile Driver apprentices represent 16% of the workforce on this project.

Investing in America: Abernethy Bridge - Portland, OR. Let’s take a look at Portland’s Abernethy Bridge. An essential seismic retrofitting infrastructure project will improve the commute of Oregonians on the I-20...

WIC WEEK greetings from Local 503 members Kadence and Trina. Here they are last winter, putting up metal stud framing on the WSU campus in Vancouver. Gotta love it when Exterior Interior Specialists "go to college" . . . to build the college!

is a path to a debt-free career you'll love .

It is Women in Construction Week and Women's History Month, so let's acknowledge the women who dreamed up Oregon Tradeswomen in 1989. We found this photo of their Founding Sisters Circle in the history section of their website. Read more: https://oregontradeswomen.org/mission-and-history/.

Pictured are the legendary Connie Ashbrook, Elevator Constructor; Kate Barrett, Carpenter; Melinda Koken, Carpenter; Sandy Hay Magdaleno, Operating Engineer; and Ann Zawaski, Carpenter.

Vimeo.com/915791241?share=copy
No apprentices were harmed in the making of this video😊

RF021924 This is "RF021924" by Pacific NW Carpenters Institute on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

When the Oregon Tradeswomen's current cohort of pre-apprentices were on a tour of the Portland training center today, they noticed women in apprenticeship classes. Luckily, we had the latest JATC statistics report to answer their questions. On 2/1/24, twelve percent of all current Apprentices at PNCI identified as female. With 19%, the JATC sub-committee for the Portland Carpenters has the highest percentage of women (that's 65 women of 344 total). Nineteen!

OTW graduates are an important part of the talent pipeline along with PNCI's Carpenter Trade Preparation program. Pre-apprenticeships like these give interested folks the experience they need to make well-informed career decisions and, importantly, be ready to immediately succeed in their first term . . . and beyond.

More than a third of our Apprentices (37% today) are in the Exterior Interior Systems (EIS) program. Metal Stud Framing & Layout class, pictured here, is one of 16 courses they will take during their four year Apprenticeship. Besides advancing their technical abilities, this week's EIS Apprentices demonstrated attention to detail, teamwork, time management and good communication which helped their projects come together during the four-day, 40 hour class.

Registered apprenticeship includes both paid On-the-Job Training and Related Training. At PNCI, you can expect to return quarterly for another class as you further your skills and knowledge. There's always more to learn!

Apprentices in the Concrete I class are setting footing forms to elevation and attaching spreaders for proper width of footing dimensions. They also learned other basic concrete forming techniques through hands-on activities: layout, batter boards, single waler snap tie forms, column forms, etc.

This is one of 16 tuition-free classes Union Carpenter Apprentices take at PNCI. They return to the training center quarterly to take a weeklong class, then it's back to work with new skills and knowledge. It takes about four years of paid On-the-Job Training (OJT) and classes to achieve journey level status, and these apprentices are making progress towards that goal.

It's always a pleasure to host to high school students at the Portland training center for the annual SW Washington SkillsUSA Regional Carpentry competition. It's a showcase of skills as they layout a stair stringer, take a knowledge test, do a timed nailing contest, and get the plans for the front wall of a shed before building as much of it as they can before the time is up. We saw lots of talent, grit and focus!

Centralia HS students move on to state and the chance to qualify for the national SkillsUSA competition.

Thanks to superintendents from Swinerton for helping judge the event.

This month we hosted the Angell Job Corps' UBC Carpentry program and celebrated the pre-apprentices who achieved their Level 1 Skills Certificate from the Carpenters International Training Fund. The youth learned and practiced more than 90 skills as they built increasingly complex projects from the CITF's Career Connections Project Book 1. Next up? Project Books 2 and 3 . . . and more certificates!

The Job Corps Carpentry program operates at 73 Job Corps Centers in 46 states, including Angell on Oregon's coast (Yachats). All the instructors are experienced Union Carpenters, like Tissi and Hoss at Angell. Thank you for building up the next generation of Apprentices.

More about the and Job Corps: https://www.carpenters.org/job-corps/

Young adults in Central Oregon (under 25 years old) can prepare for apprenticeship at PNCI by completing a pre-apprenticeship with the Heart of Oregon's YOUTHBUILD Program. This construction program uses the Career Connections curriculum from the Carpenters Int'l Training Fund; participants can earn skill certificates which offer an advantage should they ever apply for a UBC apprenticeship.

Need to finish high school or earn your GED? Interested in construction or working with children and youth? At Heart of Oregon Corps YouthBuild, you can get paid to complete your education and gain valuable work experience. Program members divide their time between the classroom, job training, and leadership development. It’s a new year, and now is the perfect time to make a change and invest in yourself and your future. Join us for a pre-enrollment information session to learn more about this program opportunity.

✨Upcoming YouthBuild pre-enrollment information sessions:

➡️NEW! Thursday, January 4th, 2024, at the HOC Redmond Training Center from 5-6 pm.

➡️Tuesday, January 9th, 2024 YouthBuild Cloverdale Building from 5-6 pm.

➡️Thursday, January 11th, 2024 YouthBuild Cloverdale Building from 5-6 pm.

*Virtual info sessions available upon request*

Applications for the Winter Cohort are due Monday, January 15th. Apply online TODAY at heartoforegon.org. 🌟

Find PNCI over on instagram.com/teampnci and give us a follow.

Oregon Tradeswomen’s Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC) is a free, 192-hour pre-apprenticeship and employment readiness training program to prepare women for a career in the skilled construction trades.TACC participants learn about a variety of trades through field trips, guest speakers and trades-specific training opportunities, so we are happy when it's our turn to host these hands-on learners!

This week our Oregon Tradeswomen guests climbed and assembled scaffolding with the Basic Systems class and learned about soffits and ceilings from EIS Apprentices. They also cut light gauge metal and drywall in skill building workshops with our Exterior Interior Systems instructor. Maybe we met some future ? We know we met potential and positivity.

During , we got to visit Wolf Creek Job Corps' UBC Carpentry program to celebrate the pre-apprentices who earned their first primary credential, the Level 1 Skills Certificate from the Carpenters International Training Fund. The youth learned and practiced more than 90 skills as they built five increasingly complex projects from the Career Connections Project Book 1. On to Project Books 2 and 3!

The UBC Job Corps Carpentry program operates at 73 Job Corps Centers in 46 states, including Wolf Creek in Glide Oregon. Young people from Southern Oregon might like to investigate this great Carpentry pre-apprenticeship program in their region!
https://www.carpenters.org/job-corps/