Submitted by the Economic Development Council of San Juan County.

People seeking job skills or career inspiration are invited to a free, hands-on woodworking course, offered by the Economic Development Council of San Juan County (EDC). This four-session course, Introduction to Woodworking, will be taught by Kristen Ryan, the woodworking instructor at Lopez Island High School. The course runs Jan. 22nd to Feb. 12th (Saturdays), at 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Lopez Island High School.

Kristen Ryan has been developing the woodworking program at Lopez Island High School since 2019. A project-based curriculum has been designed for anyone seeking jobs or developing careers that may involve working with wood, whether in construction, manufacturing, or elsewhere. The course will introduce foundational skills including measurement, safety, tool use, assembly, and wood finishing. Students will create picnic tables and benches which will be donated to the Lopez Island School Garden Program.

Applicants must be 18 years old or older, residents of San Juan County, and participating in the course to gain work skills. The deadline to apply is Jan. 11, 2022 and enrollment is limited

To apply, please visit the EDC’s website at www.sanjuansedc.org/trades. For more information, email the EDC Trades Coordinator at mickey@sanjuansedc.org.

This course is made possible by San Juan County, the Harvest Foundation, the Building Industry Association of Washington, the Raynier Institute and Foundation, the Lopez Lions, and other grant funders of the EDC’s Trades Training Initiatives. Materials for this course were donated by Jones Family Farm and Sunset Building Supply. The EDC offers special thanks to the Boden, Corbin, Levinson, Madsen, and VanHyning families, and the many other individual donors whose support was critical to launching training programs in 2021 and 2022.