TERO Carpenter Apprentices participate in Construction Combine
Frankie Gould participates in Construction Combine.
By DANA HERNANDEZ
Sho-Ban News
POCATELLO — The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes TERO participated in the Construction Combine at Home Depot in Pocatello on Wednesday, March 30.
The Construction Combine is a two-day event that trains participants with hands-on construction skills to build wood sheds that will be donated to veterans. Participants work with local contractors to gain future employment. The National Guard was also present to help with the event.
Local TERO Carpenter Apprentices are Kyle Broncho, Bodhi Broncho, Franklin Devinney, Eric Eschief, Clarence George, Frankie Gould, Yates Hasuse, Michael Larkin, Sharon Stone, and Colton Teton.
TERO Director Denell Broncho said, “there are 13 work stations and it just so happens that our guys have the bulk of the work building the trusses which are the A-frames to the roofs. It’s all just two-by-fours and plywood that they are working with and it’s just like a foundation. So, they really have an intricate part of this building process.”
Broncho added their guys all work and go to school together at ISU, and it is what their profession will be when completing the apprenticeship program. They are currently employed by Tribal Housing and are building houses. The apprenticeship program also has one woman currently enrolled, Sharon Stone who was an instructor for the event. She instructed a high school student at the truss building station.
Broncho said, “our group of guys and gal are the more experienced builders so they were instructors and taught the high schoolers. It’s cool, because they started out here and now they are the ones that are showing them what to do. They still have their work checked by a journeyman, carpenter, or contractor, but for the most part they know what to do so they are showing the younger ones and taking that leadership role.”
Participants at the combine.
TERO apprentice Yates Hasuse said he showed up to participate in the work they have going on for the day like carpentry and welding. “I am just checking them out to see the things that I might like and if I might try another trade,” he said. It is his fourth year in the apprenticeship program for plumbing, and for his trade, he gets sent all over for plumbing work on custom homes, and is now doing the demolition and reconstruction of a hotel and he said it’s a lot of work for one hotel building, but it’s fun.
Other TERO department members who were present at the event: Jimmy Broncho, along with Rick Edmo and Lorrie Galloway who is the new Apprenticeship Coordinator.
Galloway’s role as the coordinator is to work with the state and ISU to make sure their participants are properly enrolled in the program as an apprentice at the Idaho Department of Labor. She said, “it takes four years to become a journeyman carpenter and some of our guys are in their second year and some are in their first year.”
Galloway said the instructor for their apprenticeship program is Steve Quinton who works at ISU, and is the one who suggested their apprenticeship crew be the assistant instructors for the event. “They’re doing awesome with assisting the students,” said Galloway.
Galloway said the TERO apprenticeship program has class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. “Tuesday is their classroom day and Thursday is when they do labs and where they get the hands-on experience. Classes are held in Fort Hall at the TERO training center from 7-9 in the evening, which works well for those who are working during the day,” she said.
Galloway added they also get their apprentices enrolled in the 477 program to receive funding for work clothes and tools. They are still accepting apprentices for their program.
She said, “I assist whoever is interested in our apprenticeship program, right now we offer a carpenter, plumber, electrical, HVAC, brick layer and painter apprenticeship. We have apprentices in most of our trades, except the brick layer and painter trade we don’t have anyone enrolled, and if anyone is interested we welcome them to TERO to get registered and ready for school in October. In the meantime, I can get them training through TERO, OSHA, and any other trainings the guys offer. I try to secure them with employment to get on the job training. We try to get anybody who is interested to come in."
Kyle Broncho and Bodhi Broncho at the Construction Combine.
TERO Safety Inspector, Jimmy Broncho said their apprentice crew is relatively new to the trade and at the event he seen a few of them that are excelling at teaching what they have learned in the past. “Colton Teton and Franklin Devinney are working with a crew of 3-4 high school kids and they are just taking to teaching. They are very good at supervision. Seeing our apprentices come out getting work done and using the skills that they’ve just learned in the past year, is really cool to see. They need very little supervision and I am really proud to watch them grow and develop.”
