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There is a well-documented shortage when it comes to home builders, but there was no shortage of enthusiasm when a builder took a step to change that situation.

Homes by Avi made a $500,000 investment over five years — announced earlier in October — to support student scholarships in NAIT’s School of Construction and Building Sciences.

The funding will provide students who participated in the ME LaZerte and Homes by Avi construction programs with priority access to financial support to enroll in one of 13 eligible skilled trades programs at NAIT.

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And these ME LaZerte students have already begun to make their mark thanks to Avi’s investment, building a significant portion – the first floor of a two-story home – that will be sold in the new northeast neighborhood of Marquis West.

“Today marks a pivotal moment for Homes by Avi,” said Vered Amir, director of sponsorship and community engagement at the Homes by Avi group of companies, at the launch event in October. “As a proud homebuilder in Edmonton, we recognize our responsibility to support the future of our industry. »

Canada’s residential construction sector is currently grappling with an aging workforce, with more than 22 per cent retiring in the next decade and 40 per cent aging after age 55, according to the Association Canadian Home Builders. The industry has already faced the challenge for years of not having enough new entrants to replace those retiring, CHLA said, stressing that measures are needed simply to support the status quo, let alone double housing starts in Canada.

Learn a skill

The ME LaZerte program will allow trades 10, 20 and 30 (grades 10, 11 and 12, respectively) to get the support they need to move forward so they can be part of the home construction industry .

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“We are excited to offer ME LaZerte students this incredible opportunity to build a home on site each year under the leadership of Julian Pacholik, Department Head of Career and Technology Services,” Amir added, noting that this is will be done in conjunction with the construction of Homes by Avi. team and business partners.

“I’m excited about this event,” said ME LaZerte Director George Hoyt. “Can you believe there is a house here on the ME Lazerte property and our children made it?”

That house, or rather the entire first floor of the 1,523-square-foot Sasha model, will be trucked to a site in Marquis West where a basement has already been poured. Then it will be attached to the basement and the Homes by Avi construction team will build the second floor on top of it. The house will then be completed and put up for sale.

Homes by Avi provided ME LaZerte with plans, materials and support for students as they built the first floor of a home over the past few months. The LaZerte portion of construction began in late June and saw around 20 students involved in the work as well as two teachers.

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“Building this house was a fantastic learning experience that opened doors to a future in carpentry,” said Julia McCarthy, a LaZerte 12th grade student who plans to attend NAIT to earn a Seal certification. red in carpentry and eventually open his own business. “It made me want to pursue a career in the trades.”

Bringing it to Edmonton

Homes by Avi’s Edmonton initiative follows a 27-year partnership that Homes by Avi originally launched in Calgary in 1988 with the Calgary Board of Education’s Jack James Secondary School.

There, Homes by Avi supported the school’s experiential learning programs where students gain insight into different trades, develop an understanding of the home building industry and explore career options – more than 3,000 students worked together to build more than 25 homes for ages 25 and up. families all over this city.

Homes by Avi, said company president and founder Avi Amir, had wanted to bring the program to Edmonton. There was an earlier attempt around 2004, but things didn’t work out then – that attempt reportedly led to its adoption in Sherwood Park. But Avi said he is very happy the system is now up and running in Edmonton.

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La Sacha

Since its debut in 2019, the Sasha has become one of Homes by Avi’s most sought-after hallway home designs.

This popular model features a spacious chef’s kitchen with a large island, a central bonus room, a convenient upper level laundry room, a generous master bedroom with attached bathroom, a pocket office, and the option of a side entry with finished basement or income suite.

Pricing for the Sasha starts in the mid-$400,000 range. The model is available in the communities of Rosenthal, The Uplands, Elan (Beaumont), Southfork (Leduc) and Marquis West. Exhibit versions can be viewed at Marquis West at 17207 2nd Street NE and at Southfork at 122 Stiles Bend, Leduc.

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