A generous donation by Summerside's Grant Paynter's Construction Company has provided Holland College's Carpentry students with six wall brackets, a total value of $1,200. The wall brackets are used in building construction work such as installing trusses, roof sheeting and roofing materials.

Gary Paynter, a spokesperson for the company, said they wanted to donate to the program because of their ties to college.

"A big part of what I do came from Holland College," he explained. "I went to PVI [Holland College's predecessor], then I was an instructor at the college, and we have been hiring students from this program for many years."

The six wall brackets, each of which weighs about 50lbs, can be easily attached to a building between the building's top wall plate and the soffit. Once in place and secured, the brackets are self-supporting. Aluminum decking is then secured to the brackets, and a guardrail system is installed, forming a safe platform for carpenters to work on and eliminating the need for traditional scaffolding.

Learning manager Elmer McDougall said that donations such as this help ensure that the college is training students on the type of equipment that is actually used in industry.

"The donation of this equipment means that our students will not only be familiar with how to use wall brackets; but also will have been trained to use them safely. A fall protection plan will be followed to ensure the students' safety when they access, work from, and descend from the platform," he said.

McDougall said there are several other items he would like to have for the program, including a HardiPlank saw and nickel-cadmium batteries for all of the cordless tools.

"We really appreciate when our industry partners step forward the way that Grant and Gary have," McDougall said.

In this picture: (L-R)Carpentry Learning Manager Elmer McDougall, Gary Paynter of Grant Paynter's Construction Company, and Carpentry Learning Manager Donnie Brown in front of one of the wall brackets donated to the Holland College Carpentry program by Grant Paynter's Construction Company. The wall brackets allow safe access to roofs during construction.