OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Calling Attention to An Impressive Program That Originated in Pocatello, Idaho

Floor Speech

Date: Oct. 17, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Employment and Affirmative Action Education

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Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 2019 Idaho Career & Technical Education (ICTE) Special Program Award recipient, the Construction Combine.

At the Construction Combine, program participants learn to demonstrate their construction skills to builders who are potential employers. The program recruits local contractors to teach construction skills to interested high school students and others, and construction materials suppliers such as Home Depot generously provide the necessary supplies and tools to facilitate building sheds for this two-day event. The completed sheds are donated to deserving veterans at no cost.

The Construction Combine is the brain-child of Mr. Scott Stevens. As a staff member in Idaho State University's (ISU) Continuing Education and Workforce Training Program (CEWT), Mr. Stevens recognized the need to attract more skilled workers to the construction industry and to increase the housing stock in order to promote economic growth. He teamed up with Brad Landon, the Pocatello/Chubbuck Home Depot Store manager, to execute his vision--one that helps home builders, veterans and students. There was extensive additional support from the surrounding high schools; local contractors; Gary Salazar, the Director of ISU's CEWT; and others in ISU's CEWT Program.

The first Construction Combine event took place at the Pocatello/ Chubbuck Home Depot in the Spring of 2018 with 54 participants, producing eight sheds. The following year, in 2019, the Construction Combine hosted six events in Idaho and Oregon with 228 participants, producing 41 sheds. I am eager to see the continued growth of this program in years to come.

Madam Speaker, I would like to join the ICTE Awards Selection Committee in recognizing the Construction Combine as an innovative solution to the construction and low housing stock issues associated with Idaho's very low unemployment rate and our booming economy. I would like to recognize ISU's CEWT, the Home Depot, and the local contractors for their efforts to make the Construction Combine a success and to give back to their communities. Congratulations.

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