HBI Grads Honored
HBI Job Corps graduates Paul Heath and Corteney Tuggle were recognized Feb. 8 for their exemplary achievements in the home building industry during the NAHB Joint Executive and Resolutions Committee Meeting at the 2012 NAHB International Builders’ Show.
Heath, a 2004 HBI electrical program graduate from the Westover Job Corps Center in Chicopee, Mass., was awarded the NAHB Chairman’s Award by Bob Neilsen, outgoing NAHB Chairman. The award is presented annually to an outstanding HBI Job Corps graduate who has overcome adversity to achieve success in the home building industry.
Tuggle, a 2008 HBI electrical program graduate from the Treasure Island Job Corps Center in San Francisco, Calif., was awarded the Shirley McVay Wiseman Award for Exceptional Promise by HBI Trustee Shirley McVay Wiseman. The award is presented annually to an outstanding female HBI Job Corps graduate who has gone on to achieve success in the home building industry.
Having grown up in a poor area of Kingston, Jamaica, Heath began his pre-apprenticeship nine years ago—only six months after moving to the U.S.—by turning his fear of electricity into a focus on the craft of the trade. Upon completing the program, Heath began working at Universal Electrical Contractors while attending night classes at Putnam Vocational Technical School to advance his knowledge.
Afterwards, Heath completed a four-year apprenticeship program at Wayne J. Griffin Electric Inc. and then worked as a facilities maintenance instructor at the New Haven Job Corps Center in Connecticut. Today he is back at the Westover Job Corps Center working as an electrical instructor.
“I am proud of Paul for all he has achieved and how he continues to pay it forward,” said his HBI Job Corps supervisor Gregory Romano. “Paul is the true epitome of how one person makes a discernible difference in the lives of others.”
Since being selected for employment at PG&E as a utility gas worker, Tuggle has impressed co-workers through her dedication and desire to learn. She has successfully completed more than thirty PG&E courses to advance her knowledge in the trade and organization. Most recently, she was accepted into a Measurements and Controls Mechanic Apprenticeship program.
“Corteney has made amazing strides since she was a pre-apprentice three and a half years ago,” said her HBI Job Corps instructor Bob Christensen. “Passing the arduous entry exam and physical requirements to even be considered for a position at Pacific Gas & Electric is an accomplishment. I am extremely proud of Corteney’s achievements and all she has done to receive this award.”
“We are very proud of the exemplary work Corteney and Paul displayed in order to win these awards,” said John Courson, HBI president and chief executive officer. “This recognition validates the dedication they both have to their craft and is a testament to their HBI instructors’ commitment to building a skilled workforce.”
HBI’s Job Corps program is the nation’s oldest and largest residential education and job training program for at-risk youth. Housed in the U.S. Department of Labor, Job Corps offers real life, hands-on training to help young people acquire three vital pieces of the employment puzzle: trades training, basic academics and employability skills.