ROAD established a Vocational Training Apprenticeship Program “V-Tap” following the cancellation of all volunteer teams in March 2020 due to COVID-19. Recovery from the 2019 spring storms left many families still in need so a new innovative labor force had to be created.
In partnership with the State Career Tech, curriculum was created, and a Certificate of Competency was designed so that every participant is issued a documented educational certificate upon completion. Participants are obtained through WorkForce which are unemployed individuals who have a barrier to employment. Each participant receives a 6 month on-the-job work experience with full pay and benefits provided by the WorkForce Innovation and Opportunity Act distributed through the Department of Commerce.
Participants learn all means of home repair while meeting the needs of the disaster survivor. They can be certified in Construction Tools, Tarping, Roofing, Framing, Drywall, Insulation, Flooring, Trim, Paint, Siding, Fixtures, and Construction Knowledge, as well as earn an OSHA 10 Construction Industry certificate.
ROAD’s first V-Tap team of 6 apprentices from Green Country WorkForce began November 10, 2020 with two weeks of classroom training at Tulsa Tech followed by hands on experience at disaster survivors homes. This team completed home repairs for 23 disaster surviving families across 5 counties, amassing a combined 2,612 hours of service worth $59,945.40 in volunteer labor value.
This program is a WIN-WIN-WIN for the disaster surviving family, the apprentice, and ROAD as they continue to make homes home again.
Future goals are to provide this program to the Department of Corrections, Veterans Administration, among others.
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”
~Lao Tzu