Va. students hope to build a career on construction training

It's hard, manual work, muddy, dusty and sometimes done in horrendous weather -- but the students love it.

More than 100 students from 12 Fairfax County public high schools are participating in the Residential Construction Program, offered through the Construction Technology courses.

"It's a lot of fun, really hands-on," said West Springfield High School senior Sohail Hossini, 17. "If you ever need to do something for home repair, you learn it here."

Hossini, who hopes to be an engineer, called the program a good preparation for such a career. "I love everything about it. It's cool to be able to say, 'I helped build a house,' " he said.

Students in the program are putting the finishing touches on a 3,500-square-foot house in Springfield, which is on the market for $788,000. They also have begun work another house.

The program is a partnership between Fairfax County public schools and the nonprofit Foundation for Applied Technical Education, which provides vocational training to school-age students. The partnership owns the houses the students build; students sign up to work on the project as part of their course selections.

"The home is built 70 to 75 percent by students," program coordinator Chad Maclin said. "We put 16- and 17-year-olds in charge of building a three-quarters-of-a-million-dollar house. So the kids feel responsible and they take pride in their work."

Students, led by Maclin and site supervisor and instructor Marcial Rubio, work side-by-side with professional contractors, learning the professionals' trades. Contractors submit bids to work on the project and are contracted to teach and mentor students as well as complete typical construction work.

Part of the profits of each house sale pays for the next construction project and for scholarships, Rubio said. The remainder pays for the home's construction and infrastructure improvements in the development.

The Springfield house has been under construction for 36 months, Maclin said. Buyers sometimes question the quality of the work done by a teenage crew, he said.

"The reaction is always surprise," he said. "Then, when they see the quality, they become pleasantly surprised."

Ten to 15 students work at the site at a given time, during a 90-minute class period, for which they get course credit, Rubio said. Students who stay extra hours or in the summer are paid for their work.

Safety at a construction site is one of the first lessons students learn, Rubio said. All students must take an occupational safety class beforehand.