Building With Our Veterans is an innovative new initiative in Mecklenburg County that helps qualified veterans spend a year taking courses and apprenticing alongside Mecklenburg County code officials. At the conclusion of the program, graduates who successfully complete the state code official certification exams and satisfy the hiring requirements of Mecklenburg County can join the team at Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement.The program was born of a need to remedy two issues in Charlotte-Mecklenburg – an under-utilized workforce of military-trained men and women, and a public sector occupation that is struggling to find qualified, skilled candidates. Veterans with experience or interest in construction, the built environment, and life safety issues can be trained and certified to meet the public sector need for code officials.
Frequently Asked Questions
• How will Building with our Veterans help veterans become code officials?Building with our Veterans participants will spend one year taking 335 hours of required courses through Central Piedmont Community College, and train with Mecklenburg County code officials for 664 hours, an average of 20 hours per week. Participants pay no tuition or fees for the courses, and receive a stipend of $15/hour over the course of the year. At the conclusion of the program, students who have successfully completed the coursework will be eligible to take the state certification exam to become Level I code officials in their trade of choice. Building with our Veterans graduates who become certified and satisfy Mecklenburg County hiring requirements will become part of the Code Enforcement team.• How many years of experience is necessary to apply for the program?Applicants should have a high school diploma or equivalent and two years of experience working with a licensed contractor. Program participants should have a valid North Carolina or South Carolina driver’s license and the ability to obtain and maintain a county operator permit (employee driving permit).• What kind of work will program participants be doing during the apprenticeship? Participants will assist and learn to complete construction inspections in one- and two-family residential projects, townhouses, residential day care facilities and residential care homes. They will also learn to research and answer technical questions from contractors on N.C. Building Code and the inspections process.• How do interested veterans apply for the program?The position will be listed on Mecklenburg County’s website in the next few days. Go to job listings on mecklenburgcountync.gov and search for the “Inspector Trainee” position. From there, interested veterans can submit their applications online. The first class of Building With Our Veterans participants will be selected in December.• When does the program begin?The program will start in January 2016 and run through December.
For more information, visit MeckPermit.com.
(Source: Mecklenburg County)
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