The Covington Academy of Heritage Trades will host an information session on Saturday, January 27 from 11 a.m.-noon at the Covington Branch of the Kenton County Library at 502 Scott Street Covington.
At the session, attendees will learn about:
• Details covering broader classes forming for the Academy.
• Information about required introductory weekends.
• Hands-on field work in the program at the Academy’s living lab.
• Scholarships and opportunities to meet employers.
The Academy is now accepting applications for 2024. For more information, schedule an appointment with Diane McConnell by phone at (859) 640-4294 or via email at Diane@BuildersNKY.com. Interested persons can also learn more at www.heritagetradesacademy.com and sign up for classes online.
The Academy teaches the skills and knowledge needed to restore older homes and buildings to their former glory. Students learn to preserve the original features and historic significance while simultaneously modernizing and updating the functionality of the properties.
Students work side-by-side with skilled craftspeople who have dedicated their careers to mastering their trade. Through hands-on application in real properties, students gain practical experience that can translate into meaningful careers in the field of historic restoration.
According to a recent nationwide study conducted by PlaceEconomics:
• The rehabilitation of existing buildings represents nearly $85 billion in investment each year.
• About 19% of the construction industry is involved in building rehabilitation.
• The total number of historic buildings in the nation equals 96 million.
• Historic renovation involves 1.3 million workers nationwide in any given year.
• In the next decade, another 13.3 million buildings will celebrate their 50th birthday.
• Combining national register, local, historic district, and eligible buildings, between 4.3 and 6.2 million buildings in the United States may be defined as historic in the next year.
• 165,000 jobs are created by historic rehabilitation activity each year and 60% of these jobs require preservation skills, including nearly 100,000 for which specific skills, experience, and training in historic preservation is desirable.
• There are an estimated 1.9 million buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.
467,000 buildings in local historic districts that are not on the national registry of historic places exist today.
• There are likely 1.9 to 3.8 million buildings eligible for historic designations soon.
The study went further into the average requirements for individuals interested in a career in the historic preservation trades that follow a pathway of on-the-job training and course related instruction as is offered by the Academy:
• Preservation Carpenter: Requires about 4 years (8,000 hours) to become a journey-level Preservation Carpenter. There are an estimated 2,928 job openings for preservation carpenters each year.
• Preservation Mason: Requires about 4 years (8,000 hours) to become a journey-level Preservation Mason. There are an estimated 7,200 job openings for preservation masons each year.
• Historic Window Technician: Requires about 3 years (6,000 hours) to become a journey-level Historic Window Technician. There are an estimated 1,590 job openings for Historic Window Technicians each year.
• Historic Roofer: Requires about 3 years (6,000 hours) to become a journey-level Historic Roofer. There are an estimated 523 job openings for Historic Roofers each year.
• Deconstruction Technician: Requires about 2 years (4,000 hours) to become a journey-level Deconstruction Technician.
• Careers in the historic preservation trades earn on average 9 percent more than related fields in skilled trades careers for other construction professionals.
The Academy is currently renovating an historic home at 1515 Madison Avenue in Covington as its “living lab,” a primary site for hands-on learning activities. The building, formerly known as the Colonial Inn, features a veranda-roofed porch, gabled dormers, and exquisite woodwork. It was built in the 1860’s as a glorious single-family home but has suffered from neglect over the past decades. Once the home is restored the academy will accept proposals for future historic buildings in Covington in which to breathe in them new life as part of the Academy’s training endeavors.