For the second summer in a row, Nunez Community College in Chalmette will offer a NCCER Core Construction course free to Spanish speakers.
The class, which will be led by a Nunez instructor and an in-class interpreter, is scheduled for July 1-Aug. 14. It will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. on the Nunez campus.
Students interested in taking this free class are encouraged to submit a Workforce Inquiry Form at Nunez.edu/Workforce today.
The course is part of Nunez’s efforts to expand its workforce efforts while also introducing non-English speakers to the availability of English Language Learning (ELL, formerly English as a Second Language) and High School Equivalency (HSE) courses available free of charge through Nunez’s Adult Education Division.
Nunez received positive feedback after offering NCCER Core Construction in Spanish in the summer of 2024.
“I was a little surprised it went as well as it did,” said Rustin Treadaway, the Nunez instructor who taught the course with the help of an interpreter. “They did well on the tests and they did really well on the hands-on projects. We had some ladies who hadn’t been in school in years, yet they were able to complete the course at the top of the class.”
Treadaway said some concepts got lost in translation when literal meanings didn’t match the practical concepts being communicated. But through patience and rephrasing, misunderstandings were quickly corrected.
Student Martha Rico was a part of the first cohort to take Nunez’s Core class in Spanish. Rico speaks English but believed she would learn better receiving instruction in her native language.
“Sometimes it’s hard to understand everything that’s being taught and I didn’t want to go the wrong way, so I took the course in Spanish,” said Rico. “The translator did a really good job. If you have any questions, he explains again in a different way so you understand clearly.”
“It’s never too late to go and do something that you really love,” said Rico, who took the course in order to play a more active role in her husband’s remodeling business. “If you’re going to do construction, go to Nunez and take the class.”
Students who complete the course and earn their NCCER Core certification are immediately more employable, as well as being one step closer to enrolling in higher-level programs at Nunez such as Electrical Construction.
For more information email adulteducation@nunez.edu.