The Building Trades training program allows students to acquire skills and knowledge through hands-on experience at a real work-site. Students participate in the entire process of full-gut rehabilitation of single-family homes including:

Handling Materials and Tools
Demolition and Cleanout
Blueprint Reading
Cost Estimating
Replacement of Structural Members
Masonry
Framing
Floor Preparation/Finishing
Door/Window Installation
Insulation and Drywall
Interior finishing

Participants experience the pride of transforming a severely damaged property into a beautiful home for a family of grateful new homeowners. All participants benefit from the less tangible, but equally important lessons in teamwork, dependability, punctuality, and preparedness.

Partnerships
YouthBuild Philadelphia acts as a subcontractor to complete work on abandoned houses that are owned by the City of Philadelphia or a Community Development Corporation (CDC). The school forms partnerships with CDCs to completely rehabilitate properties into safe, clean, low-income housing.

Green Building
YouthBuild Philadelphia is a leader in improving the affordability, quality, and environmental impact of affordable home construction and renovation. The Green Building training program launched in the 2009-10 school year and rehabilitated a home for a low-income family using sustainable practices and green technologies. YouthBuild is currently working toward LEED Certification on home rehabilitation project in Germantown.