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Carpentry and Construction Trades
Program Description
AAS in Carpentry STEM Emphasis degree is no longer available to new students. Students considering a transfer pathway can choose the traditional AAS degree and complete an AGEC-A certificate to prepare to enter a university.
The Carpentry and Construction Trades programs provides graduates with the essential skills required of employees in carpentry and construction trades. The carpentry program curriculum is aligned with National Center for Construction Education Research standards and the construction trades curriculum is certified through the National Association of Home Builders through the Home Builders Institute and encompasses the national skills standards for the construction trades.
Graduates of the carpentry and construction trades programs and certificates will learn a wide range of skills and gain industry-specific experience in:
- Equipment, theory, techniques, and related construction standards.
- The use of plans and specifications to determine quantities required to prepare a contract bid.
- The use and care of foundations and framing instruments and tools.
- Interior and exterior wall systems, including blocking, bracing, and erection for each type of system.
- Footing, stem wall, column, and deck form systems.
- Interpreting blueprints for plot plans, foundations, framing, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, masonry, welding, and details.
- Determining quantities and costs for various construction components.
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Career Outlook
Successful completion of this program can open doors to various employment opportunities, many of which require further higher education at the university level. Below are examples of related occupations and their annual mean wages in Arizona, based on career and wage data from Pipeline AZ, which utilizes government sources for its reports and forecasts.
Description
Construct, erect, install, or repair structures and fixtures made of wood and comparable materials, such as concrete forms; building frameworks, including partitions, joists, studding, and rafters; and wood stairways, window and door frames, and hardwood floors. May also install cabinets, siding, drywall, and batt or roll insulation. Includes brattice builders who build doors or brattices (ventilation walls or partitions) in underground passageways.
Duties/Tasks
- Follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment.
- Measure and mark cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil, chalk, and marking gauge.
- Assemble and fasten materials to make frameworks or props, using hand tools and wood screws, nails, dowel pins, or glue.
- Study specifications in blueprints, sketches, or building plans to prepare project layout and determine dimensions and materials required.
- Shape or cut materials to specified measurements, using hand tools, machines, or power saws.
- Verify trueness of structure, using plumb bob and level.
- Cover subfloors with building paper to keep out moisture and lay hardwood, parquet, or wood-strip-block floors by nailing floors to subfloor or cementing them to mastic or asphalt base.
- Construct forms or chutes for pouring concrete.
- Arrange for subcontractors to deal with special areas, such as heating or electrical wiring work.
- Build or repair cabinets, doors, frameworks, floors, or other wooden fixtures used in buildings, using woodworking machines, carpenter's hand tools, or power tools.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$47,920
$47,920
Entry Level Salary
$30,410
$30,410
Mid Level Salary
$47,190
$47,190
Expert Level Salary
$61,280
$61,280
Average Hourly Wage
$23.04
$23.04
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$14.62
$14.62
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$22.00
$22.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$29.46
$29.46
Typical Education Level
High School Diploma
Description
Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. May operate hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying and measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment and instruments. May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches, set braces to support the sides of excavations, erect scaffolding, and clean up rubble, debris, and other waste materials. May assist other craft workers.
Duties/Tasks
- Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.
- Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
- Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials.
- Read plans, instructions, or specifications to determine work activities.
- Position, join, align, or seal structural components, such as concrete wall sections or pipes.
- Perform site activities required of green certified construction practices, such as implementing waste management procedures, identifying materials for reuse, or installing erosion or sedimentation control mechanisms.
- Control traffic passing near, in, or around work zones.
- Install sewer, water, or storm drain pipes, using pipe-laying machinery or laser guidance equipment.
- Operate or maintain air monitoring or other sampling devices in confined or hazardous environments.
- Smooth or finish freshly poured cement or concrete, using floats, trowels, screeds, or powered cement finishing tools.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$40,200
$40,200
Entry Level Salary
$29,650
$29,650
Mid Level Salary
$37,630
$37,630
Expert Level Salary
$48,550
$48,550
Average Hourly Wage
$19.33
$19.33
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$14.26
$14.26
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$18.00
$18.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$23.34
$23.34
Typical Education Level
High School Diploma
Description
Operate one or several types of power construction equipment, such as motor graders, bulldozers, scrapers, compressors, pumps, derricks, shovels, tractors, or front-end loaders to excavate, move, and grade earth, erect structures, or pour concrete or other hard surface pavement. May repair and maintain equipment in addition to other duties.
Duties/Tasks
- Learn and follow safety regulations.
- Take actions to avoid potential hazards or obstructions, such as utility lines, other equipment, other workers, or falling objects.
- Start engines, move throttles, switches, or levers, or depress pedals to operate machines, such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders, or backhoes.
- Coordinate machine actions with other activities, positioning or moving loads in response to hand or audio signals from crew members.
- Align machines, cutterheads, or depth gauge makers with reference stakes and guidelines or ground or position equipment, following hand signals of other workers.
- Locate underground services, such as pipes or wires, prior to beginning work.
- Signal operators to guide movement of tractor-drawn machines.
- Repair and maintain equipment, making emergency adjustments or assisting with major repairs as necessary.
- Load and move dirt, rocks, equipment, or other materials, using trucks, crawler tractors, power cranes, shovels, graders, or related equipment.
- Check fuel supplies at sites to ensure adequate availability.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$51,430
$51,430
Entry Level Salary
$37,460
$37,460
Mid Level Salary
$48,060
$48,060
Expert Level Salary
$62,030
$62,030
Average Hourly Wage
$24.73
$24.73
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$18.01
$18.01
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$23.00
$23.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$29.82
$29.82
Typical Education Level
High School Diploma
Description
Cover roofs of structures with shingles, slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, or related materials. May spray roofs, sidings, and walls with material to bind, seal, insulate, or soundproof sections of structures.
Duties/Tasks
- Inspect problem roofs to determine the best repair procedures.
- Remove snow, water, or debris from roofs prior to applying roofing materials.
- Set up scaffolding to provide safe access to roofs.
- Estimate materials and labor required to complete roofing jobs.
- Cement or nail flashing strips of metal or shingle over joints to make them watertight.
- Install partially overlapping layers of material over roof insulation surfaces, using chalk lines, gauges on shingling hatchets, or lines on shingles.
- Cut felt, shingles, or strips of flashing to fit angles formed by walls, vents, or intersecting roof surfaces.
- Apply plastic coatings, membranes, fiberglass, or felt over sloped roofs before applying shingles.
- Install, repair, or replace single-ply roofing systems, using waterproof sheet materials such as modified plastics, elastomeric, or other asphaltic compositions.
- Attach roofing paper to roofs in overlapping strips to form bases for other materials.
- Cover roofs or exterior walls of structures with slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, gravel, gypsum, or related materials, using brushes, knives, punches, hammers, or other tools.
- Waterproof or damp-proof walls, floors, roofs, foundations, or basements by painting or spraying surfaces with waterproof coatings or by attaching waterproofing membranes to surfaces.
Salary Information (AZ)
Average Salary
$47,450
$47,450
Entry Level Salary
$30,200
$30,200
Mid Level Salary
$39,090
$39,090
Expert Level Salary
$61,240
$61,240
Average Hourly Wage
$22.81
$22.81
Entry Level Hourly Wage
$14.52
$14.52
Mid Level Hourly Wage
$18.00
$18.00
Expert Level Hourly Wage
$29.44
$29.44
Typical Education Level
High School Diploma
Program Photos
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Contact Information
Department Contact(s)
Career and Technical Education
Hours of Operation
- Normal Hours
- Monday - Thursday: 7:00am-5:00pm
Faculty/Staff Contact(s)
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teresa Livingston | Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director & Dean CTE Programs | (928) 344-7752 | Teresa.Livingston@azwestern.edu |