Building Futures
NBSS Carpentry Students Gain Hands-On Experience with Industry Leaders
The Field Practicum helps Carpentry students integrate knowledge and skills developed through their curriculum in a real-world setting. Here, three employers and their respective students share why the program is a win-win for them—and the industry as a whole.
Pride in craft and people with F.H. Perry Builder
It was a chilly Monday morning in November and Johnny (Tewiwi) Vital CA ’24 had just arrived at his first-ever construction job site. High-end custom home builder F.H. Perry Builder was installing cabinetry at a private residence in Cambridge. And Johnny, with two months in the Carpentry program under his belt, was here to work.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” shares Johnny, who served in the U.S. Army before enrolling at NBSS. “But everyone was so helpful, from tips on how to dress for the cold to showing me where the tools were. I had never been to Home Depot, so they even took me there, and to a lumberyard. The week inspired me to study construction management after graduation. I am so thankful for this experience.”
Johnny was one of the 27 Carpentry program (CA) students who received hands-on training last fall through the Carpentry Field Practicum, running in its second year. Students were matched with one of 16 employers in the valued NBSS network for a paid, week-long experience. They polished resumes, practiced interviewing skills, and built crucial professional relationships. Nearly twenty percent of students continued working with their employer on off days, and almost half received job offers specifically from those employers as of graduation.
“It is a gift to be in a position to open a door for someone who wants to do what we do, in a world trying to make people choose other things,” says Allison Iantosca, President and CEO of F.H. Perry Builder.
“We talk a lot about where the next generation of tradespeople is going to come from, to maintain and grow this industry,” adds Wade Bergeron, Chief Operating Officer of F.H. Perry.
It’s why F.H. Perry Builder enthusiastically participates in the Field Practicum—and is an NBSS Partner in Craft, which recognizes corporations and small businesses that support the School. “North Bennet is so critical,” Allison says. “It has to keep doing what it’s doing.”
For his practicum with F.H. Perry Builder, Omar Ocasio CA ’24 installed sidewall shingles at a Hopkinton MA residence. “Everyone was open and welcoming,” shares Omar, who enrolled at NBSS after graduating from Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. “I showed them what I learned. And from there, they said, ‘Okay, here’s some improvements.’ I got lots of training on the table saw, which was incredibly helpful for the rest of the year. I appreciate them. They encouraged me to reach back out when I graduate.”
“We have tremendous pride in craft, as well as people,” Wade says. “For us, NBSS is a cultural fit.”
Finding the right path with Northland Installations
“Growing a business is a rollercoaster, and you have to maintain quality as you grow,” says Nathan Hawkes, Owner of Northland Installations, a millwork and casework installation company, as well as Hawkes & Huberdeau, a custom architectural millwork workshop. “That’s why we established a relationship with the Carpentry program—graduates have a desire to learn, and that is the biggest key for success, I’ve found.”
“Day one of the internship, I showed up to install these gorgeous, stately white cabinets in a multi-million-dollar brownstone in Boston’s Back Bay,” recalls Andrew Brown CA ’24, a U.S. Air Force veteran who worked in IT before NBSS. “There were several companies working on different tasks at the same time—it was like a beehive. I was nervous, but you get confident pretty fast.”
“The experience gave me a lot of clarity,” adds Andrew, who has decided to continue at NBSS in the Cabinet & Furniture Making program this fall. “Carpentry is such a wide river—there’s flooring, cabinetry, roofing, framing, and so on. For me, milling and installing cabinets comes with such a sense of satisfaction because they’re so aesthetically pleasing.”
Whether students stay with him or look elsewhere, Nathan is all about helping them find their right path: “Because of my years of experience in this field, I know every cabinet shop in the state. So even though I’m based in Amesbury, if a student says they’re on the South Shore, for example, I can still connect them with the right people.”
On the cutting edge of possibility with Thoughtforms
“We’ve focused on sustainability for 50-plus years—it’s part of our DNA,” says Henry Pott, Business Manager at Thoughtforms, a premier custom home builder with roots as a design-build firm. “We were building geothermal systems and thinking about very high insulation efficiency decades ago, and we’ve continued along that pathway.”
Today, Thoughtforms has three distinct arms: construction, service and maintenance, and the bespoke workshop. Henry says partnering with NBSS to offer a field practicum in the service arm made perfect sense.
“The experience was one of my favorite parts of the year because it showed me what was possible,” says Angus McDougal CA ’24, who continued interning with Thoughtforms on Fridays. “One day you’re working on a modern concrete and glass house, and the next day it’s a renovated 18th-century home.”
“Construction is a world fraught with bad actors, and we hold to the value that we’re only as good as the last piece of work we’ve done,” Henry says. “That’s what we saw with Angus and how he approaches the world—he comes from a sculpting background, he’s very artistic, and he’s run his own business. We hit it off.”
“I’m excited to share that I received a job offer with the Thoughtforms service team,” Angus says. “I will be exposed to the highest level of building standards, and they are far ahead of the curve on residential energy management. I’ll have a head start when these systems become accessible to more consumers in a decade. The Carpentry Field Practicum set me up for future success.”
Interested in welcoming NBSS students at your company? We are expanding our network in New England and beyond. For Carpentry, contact instructor Brock Leiendecker PC ’16 at bleiendecker@nbss.edu, or contact info@nbss.edu for any other program.
For more information on becoming a Partner in Craft, contact Annie Hayes, Director of Institutional Support at ahayes@nbss.edu.
This story is from our Summer 2024 issue of Benchmarks magazine. View more stories from the magazine, and past issues.
