Building Foundations - BY RYAN ORI, Peoria Journal Star, IL
Although many students have taken vocational classes, the initial week or so is spent on safety training with power tools before the actual building process begins.
After that, safety and teamwork are up to the students.
'We build a scaffold in here and put about 10 or 15 guys on the ground to walk (trusses) up,' Sanders said. 'We have walkways and planks in mid-air and we carry the trusses up there.
'That's really cool because it teaches everybody how to work together. If one guy pushes too hard on one end, this guy gets shoved off the back of the house. You don't always have to like the guy you work with. You have to learn to like the guy you work with because you don't always get to pick who you work with.'
Subcontractors are hired to do work such as plumbing and heating. Union laborers supervise tasks such as wiring, plastering or bricklaying.