Skilled Trade Academy

Shout-out to our friends from the plumbing program at Building Institute of Central KY for donating blueprints for us to practice with!

What an honor it is to build better futures for ourselves and others.

📸: Lexington Habitat for Humanity

This week, Skilled Trade Academy constructed interior walls for what will soon become the new Observation Area at the Children's Advocacy Center of the Bluegrass.

Our team focused on blueprint reading, framing, and preparing the structure for inspection. Next, we'll install a two-way mirror, drywall, doors, trim, and baseboards to complete the space.

This project is made possible through our partnership with NexGen (Gray).

Community partnerships at work!

Our students are honing their skills in flooring by completing a 1,500 sq ft project, installing subfloor, LVP flooring, and baseboard. We're all about real-world experience and hands-on learning! 💪

Geared up and ready to go! Our students put their training to work on real-world job sites.

🔨 Hard work.
⚡ Real experience.
🏗️ Bright futures.

Our guest speaker Harrison Laird is an expert and leader in self-perform construction with NexGen (Gray) — but he’ll tell you that he didn’t start out on top. He entered the trades 33 years ago as a wheelbarrow pusher.

Huge thanks to Harrison for telling his story to our students and inspiring the next generation of skilled tradespeople!

Here are some of our favorite tips he shared:

🔨“Learn to do it by hand, and no one can take that away from you.”

🔨“When I interview, I look for attitude first— we can train everything else.”

🔨“If you don’t know, ask. And down the road when you’re the person who knows, help the next person.”

🔨“Keep an extra change of clothes.”

Ready to lift your career to new heights?

Okay, we know that's cheesy, but hear us out...

Our students earn their Certified Forklift Operator credentials as part of our program. It's a valuable skill and a green flag for trades employers— showing you’ve got the foundation to master other machinery, too.

Learn more and apply➡️ https://owlinc.net/skilled-trade/academy/

Happy New Year! To our students, supporters, and community - here’s to working together to make an even bigger impact in 2025. 🎉

Board Member Tom Miller shows students how they can continue their training and go on to earn journeyman’s licenses through our partners at Building Institute of Central KY.

Congratulations, graduates! 🎉

With hard work, perseverance, and hands-on training, these graduates have mastered the skills needed to build a better future.

Join us in celebrating their incredible achievement! Drop a 👏 in the comments to show your support for these skilled trade champions!

The OWL Board of Directors has appointed William Bacon as interim Chief Executive Officer, effective December 12, 2024. Bacon will lead the organization as OWL searches for a successor to former CEO Tony Higgins, who recently stepped down after 22 years of dedicated service.

“The board has great confidence in William and the rest of the OWL team,” said Nancy Brown, Chair of the OWL Board of Directors. “We are grateful for his willingness to step into this role and ensure the impactful work of OWL continues smoothly during this transition.”

Bacon has served as OWL’s Skilled Trade Academy Director since 2022. Skilled Trade Academy, OWL’s pre-apprenticeship program, provides a pathway into construction trades, helping people from all walks of life achieve employment and addressing the critical need for trade workers in our community.

With over 20 years of leadership experience and a degree in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Kentucky, Bacon has been instrumental in advancing OWL’s skills training and certification programs as well as their strategic planning efforts.

A lifelong Kentuckian, Bacon began his career in the construction trades as a carpenter in 1991. In 1996, he founded Baconstruction, Inc., a residential construction company in Central Kentucky, where he served as owner and president for nearly 23 years. From 2018 to 2021, Bacon held a leadership role with a Lexington-based biotech startup, where he was responsible for building out a production laboratory and overseeing operations and facilities.

“For the past three years, OWL has given me the opportunity to serve and support those who want to build a career in an industry I’m deeply passionate about,” said Bacon. “I am honored to be entrusted with this role and proud to be part of such a powerful mission.”

From all of us at Skilled Trade Academy, Happy Thanksgiving!

Today and every day, we honor veterans like our instructor, Chris. To all the men and women who have served, thank you and Happy Veterans Day!