The Carpentry program at Vance-Granville Community College will hold an open house on Tuesday, May 12, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., and the public is invited. The event will take place in the shop where Carpentry students train, on the lower level of Building 5 on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County.
Open house attendees will learn about the one-year (three-semester) diploma program, which prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to lay out, cut, fabricate, erect, install, and repair wooden structures and fixtures, using hand and power tools.
According to VGCC Carpentry program head/instructor Keith Tunstall, who is also a graduate of the program, demand for his graduates is high. “We have local builders, contractors and manufacturers who say they can hire as many Carpentry graduates as Vance-Granville can produce,” Tunstall said. “There will always be a need for skilled carpenters, but particularly now, I would recommend anyone who is out of work or looking for a new job to seriously consider carpentry and construction.”
Tunstall has invited employers from the four-county area to the open house, so that they can explain the types of job openings they have and the education required to fill those jobs.
Course work in the Carpentry program has in recent years been updated to include instruction in sustainable, or “green,” building and design. Tunstall is himself a certified Building Analyst/Energy Auditor, meaning that he has expertise in energy-efficient residential construction.
Other subjects covered in the curriculum include blueprint reading, building codes, estimating, construction materials and methods, and other topics related to design and construction occupations. Graduates are prepared to start careers in the fields of architecture, construction, construction management, and other associated professions.
Students complement their classroom and shop training with working on an actual live construction project. Their current project is building a house in Oxford in partnership with Granville County Habitat for Humanity.
Representatives of the VGCC Admissions Office will be on hand at the open house for anyone who wants to start the process of enrolling on the spot. The VGCC Financial Aid Office will also have a staff member available to answer questions about options to help students pay for college.
For more information, call Keith Tunstall at (252) 738-3261 or (252) 213-1266.