Students in Training Build 'Tiny Home'

Dec. 14, 2020

CareerEdge, the workforce development initiative of the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, and retired Sarasota-area developer Walt Eppard have given students at Sarasota’s Suncoast Technical College the chance to build a “tiny home.” Over the next several months, about 180 students in five trade programs will construct the home as part of a training initiative.

Hands-on experience is important for students in the construction trades, though during the pandemic, opportunities to work with an area nonprofit weren’t feasible due to social distancing concerns.

“The tiny home project became part of the conversation with instructors and leaders at STC,” CareerEdge Executive Vice President Mireya Eavey said. “This was another way to have that hands-on experience for the students, but at the same time, they build something that then can be used after the fact.”

Once finished, the tiny home will sit on a trailer and travel to elementary and middle school students as a way to tell them about careers in construction.

Students have currently started work on the framing of the home, and will continue building it throughout the 2020-21 school year.

Source: Business Observer & Coffee Talk