Roseville, Calif. – June 2016 – Lennar Sacramento recently announced the launching of its Project Opportunity program, which seeks to connect high school juniors with internships in the building and construction trades. This is the first time a homebuilder has offered a formal, comprehensive internship program for students throughout the greater Sacramento region.
“As our economy continues to recover, there is a growing need for new residential construction throughout the region,” said Bob Tummolo, Division President for Lennar Sacramento. “As this growth trend continues there will be thousands of opportunities for young people to enter the homebuilding industry. We literally lost thousands of jobs with the onset of the recession and the aim of Project Opportunity is to get them back.”
During this first iteration of the program, 16 students from the following high schools will participate: Sheldon (7), Laguna Creek (5), Luther Burbank (1), Whitney (1), and Cordova (2). The students were formally hired through the Community College Foundation due to insurance and workers’ compensation requirements for under-18 employees. Throughout the six-week program, the students will work with four different trade contractors in groups of five to six to build homes at Lennar’s Highland Grove community in Rancho Cordova. Each group will rotate as follows:
- Nine days of framing the homes with L&S Framing;
- Nine days installing the HVAC, plumbing, and fire sprinkler systems with Villara Building Systems;
- Six days forming and pouring the concrete foundations with Sommercal Concrete; and
- Three days installing the electrical with Black Diamond Electric.
Immediately following completion of their daily shift, students will meet for lunch and a training presentation on a variety of construction- and homebuilding-related topics.
“I’d like to express our thanks to Lennar and its trade partners for establishing this important new program,” said Kathy Hamilton, Director of Elk Grove Unified School District College and Career Options. “Project Opportunity will offer a number of students throughout the region another potential career option in a growing industry.”
“We’re proud to be a part of this effort,” said Rick Wylie, President of Villara Building Systems. “Between our company and the other participating trades, we’re positive that these students will get a valuable education and new insight into the homebuilding industry. And what better way to provide them with this experience than in what basically is a million-dollar classroom.”
Project Opportunity will culminate on July 30, with an unveiling of the homes on which the participating students worked. To find out more about this program, contact Jeff Panasiti at (916) 746-8548.
With hundreds of communities nationwide and homes designed for first-time, move-up and luxury homebuyers, Lennar has grown to become one of the nation’s leading and most respected homebuilders. Lennar has a longstanding history of building homes of enduring quality in only the most well planned and desirable locations throughout the country.
