Old School Workshops

A 2018 study showed that 94% of employees said they would stay at a company longer if it simply invested in helping them learn. We show that we value our employees when we invest in their future. 

Traditional craftspeople are retiring from the workforce at an alarming rate and are not being backfilled by the younger generations, creating an unprecedented preservation skills gap. Implementing a successful preservation project is dependent upon having a workforce with the specialized traditional trades skillset.

Applying best practices in modern construction to a historic structure can result in irreversible damage, legal ramifications, and costly repair work to reverse the improper technique or material.  Modern construction workers are often highly skilled and simply need training in preservation best practices and the preservation ethic.

Trades training often only teaches the skillset, leaving out the mindset (knowledge) and heartset (caring).  We teach to the whole learner, employing the ‘Beyond Hands-on’ learning model, which improves learner outcomes by engaging the hands, heads, and hearts.  We use an outdoor, learner-first classroom where learners can experiment, play, reflect, and think critically to ‘own their learning,’ which results in an increased ability to apply new skills on the jobsite.