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AHFC’s Training Space Offers Opportunities for Hands-on Learning
At Alaska Housing Finance Corporation’s Anchorage warehouse, a high-functioning training space is providing opportunities for maintenance staff to learn new skills, brush up on protocols and hone their capabilities in a realistic practice setting.
In summer 2026, trainings included three two-day training workshops organized by Public Housing Training Coordinator Sandor. Attendees included all statewide public housing property maintenance staff, offering these employees the chance to meet with their colleagues from other communities, share knowledge and learn from instructors.
Upgrading the Training Experience
This summer’s training is different from previous years because of access to the Anchorage warehouse, which AHFC purchased in 2025.
“Historically, our maintenance staff were all flown in at the same time and training was performed at AHFC headquarters in a classroom format with PowerPoints and lots of sitting,” says Sandor. “The format and delivery of training matters, and even more so for maintenance and technical staff who are learning hands-on skills. The vision for the training center was to create engaging, hands-on movement and to target skills that will immediately transfer into the field.”
"Mike Singleton, AHFC's Facilities Management director, had a vision for the training center and saw what it could be," says Sandor. "He spearheaded the process of procuring the building and inspired me to get involved."
AHFC’s Facilities Maintenance team facilitated the training, with several employees providing instruction in individual modules. Modules included:
- Hazardous conditions mitigation
- Electrical safety, systems and components
- HVAC/Boilers systems components, theory and on-call trouble shooting
- Vehicle safety
- Trailers and towing
- Interior finishes #1 – setting doors, appliance wiring, plumbing, special tools
- Interior finishes #2 – floor coverings basics and repair, cove base applications lab
The modules included in this summer series were designed to create a foundation of property maintenance skills that will be augmented with more advanced concepts in the future, based on individual roles and experience levels.
A Flexible Space Suited to a Variety of Needs
The warehouse’s flexible learning spaces make it well-suited to the variety of modules offered.
The building features a small conference room, two classrooms outfitted with audio and visual equipment setup, a large workshop and about 3000 sq ft of covered warehouse floor space that can be reconfigured to accommodate a variety of hands-on learning activities not suitable for a classroom environment. This means that staff have a chance to practice skills that are noisy or dirty without disruption to other Corporation activities.
The summer 2026 training cohort is the first to have been hosted at the warehouse but there are big plans for the future. The flexibility of the layout means that other AHFC departments and partners can benefit from the space for their own workshops and training.
A Place to Gather, Learn and Mentor
The training space not only meets the practical needs of skills-based learning but also provides room for attendees to interact with peers, collaborate as they try out techniques, and move around outside of a classroom. The summer training provided a key opportunity to learn from the experiences of other maintenance professionals.
“It was incredible to see the knowledge transfer from the seasoned veterans to staff that just joined the team,” says Sandor. “What I think was special is that everyone came away with different tools depending on where they are at professionally. Also notable was the collaboration and networking that went down between communities, as each training group has had staff from all of our statewide locations.”
“The skills baseline established this summer is the foundation from which we will build upon with future training to meet the specialized learning needs of maintenance staff. The primary goal is to fulfill the AHFC mission with powerfully-trained maintenance teams ready to serve their community’s needs.”