When some of the attendees arrive in New Orleans (NOLA) prior to the RESNET Building Performance Conference, their first stop won’t be Bourbon Street. Instead, they will be headed to 2200 St. Philip Street, to work alongside 20 area high school students to help them build a house as part of unCommon Construction’s (uCC) Apprenticeship Program Build Day. Through unCommon Construction’s high school apprenticeship program, students from six different NOLA area schools apply to join a diverse team, earning hourly pay, school credit, and Equity Award scholarships for building a house in a semester. In the program, apprentices develop transferable technical skills and social, professional, and financial resources through a real-world work experience that prepares them to lead the workforce after high school or college. RESNET is sponsoring the uCC Build Day on Saturday, February 23. Approximately 15 RESNET HERS® Raters, partners, and organization staff will come to town early to participate in the building activities. Says RESNET spokesperson Valerie Briggs, “When we learned about unCommon Construction, we knew we wanted to be a part of their build day while we are here in New Orleans for our annual conference. We see it as a great way to give back to our host city, and help to encourage a career in energy efficient construction.” The current home uCC is building on St. Philip is via a partnership with the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans, a nonprofit organization that works to protect and revitalize the city’s historic architecture and neighborhoods. The house is currently at the framing stage of construction with an expected completion date of June 2019. Let Us Go Forward Together. For more information and to register today, visit the 2019 RESNET Conference Website!
