For many of the students hard at work on a Loudon construction site early Saturday morning, a desk job never appealed to them.
Tristan Bogrett of Milford grew up working with his dad, learning about construction on and off of job sites since age 14. Miguel Ortiz, who lives in Meredith, has a passion for architecture, likes helping homeowners and has always wanted to get into the trade.
As he works toward that goal, Ortiz is volunteering his time with Habitat for Humanity and gaining work experience alongside Bogrett and five other carpentry apprentices at NHTI. This past Saturday, they were tasked with remodeling a bathroom for a Loudon resident, adding closet space and transforming its sunken tub into a walk-in shower.
The contractors also removed the bathroom window and refinished the external siding, then found and fixed other spots in need of repair, like decaying portions of the deck and some leakage from the old tub.
“It’s rewarding,” Ortiz said during a quick pizza lunch break at the job site. “It’s really nice to give back to the community.”
Others said they prefer the volunteer atmosphere to a more professional one: At most job sites, apprentices work under the pressure of tighter time constraints, but volunteering allows them to slow down and enjoy the work.
“You don’t gotta worry and stress about getting stuff done for getting paid or whatever,” Bogrett said. “You work, you get it done as best as you can, or as best as possible, and just enjoy the process.”
The seven students make up NHTI’s second-ever carpentry cohort, and they’re currently in the first of three learning phases that stretch over the course of a year. The “earn-while-you-learn” program allows apprentices at local construction companies to keep working while earning a certification. The companies also help pay for their education.
Not all the students are from the capital region, but several work for Concord-based North Branch Construction.
The collaboration with Habitat for Humanity is a first for NHTI, said Kathy Taylor, director of workforce education. She got the idea from Manchester Community College, which hosted a volunteer event with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an organization that builds beds for children who don’t have them.
NHTI followed Manchester’s example and then took it a step further.
“Why only do one community service project?” Taylor remembered thinking. “Why don’t we build that into this program and do the service learning component with the reflection, because that is such a meaningful experience for students.”
Their first Habitat for Humanity project in October took them to Allenstown, where apprentices helped tear down a rotting deck, then build and install a replacement.
“For a lot of them, this is their first opportunity to really give back to a greater cause for the community,” said instructor Jason McKenna. “That’s really broadened their perspective as to what they can contribute with their trade and giving back.”
At Habitat for Humanity, which has a chapter in New Hampshire’s capital region, homeowners must meet income requirements to qualify for assistance. The volunteer group is booked out until next summer.
Ortiz finds it meaningful to know his work helps someone. It’s part of why he’s always wanted to work in residential construction in the first place.
“I love the architecture and the client experience,” he said. “I love working with clients and helping them reach their goals and pursuing their dreams and making them a house that works for them and reaching their needs.”