Habitat Summer Interns Learn Important Construction Skills

Summer interns (l to r): Ailin Liu, Ben Lynch, Joe Neilly and David Roos

"I really learned a lot and had fun. Before this internship, I liked my civil engineering major, but doubted if I could stay in my field. Now I know I can keep pursuing my dream. I just love building." Ailin Liu, Summer Intern

In a first for Habitat Greater SF, a new summer internship program was held on the construction site of our 36-home development in Daly City. The internship provided critical additional staffing in areas of site safety and volunteer management, while the interns gained formal training and experience in a variety of trades, including circular saw safety, waterproofing, window installation, fiber cement siding, and roofing, as well as leadership, communications and management skills. Construction Manager Dawn Adams created and provided oversight of the program.

Staffing is usually a big issue in the summer when replacements for the departing AmeriCorps teams finishing at the end of July do not arrive until the beginning of September. "An internship seemed like the perfect solution, where we could gain the continuity and staffing that we usually lose over the summer, while offering a tremendous learning experience to applicants interested in service and/or construction," said Adams.

Based on their level of experience and affinity for the work, interns took on various levels of responsibility - helping to complete site safety inspections, giving safety talks to volunteers, leading and training crews of day volunteers, managing small phases of construction, such as roof framing, window installation, siding and waterproofing, and working in teams on specialized projects such as gutter installation and framing, for example. In all, the interns were responsible for managing more than 400 day volunteers during the program.

Habitat intends to do more internships, possibly as early as this fall. Plans include internships throughout the year in specialized trades such as electrical and HVAC work.