El Paso County Colorado District 49 has partnered with the Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs and Careers in Construction Colorado to provide a construction program for all high school students in the district. Eventually, students will build a house while they are enrolled in the program.The program will be located in the new 4,800 square-foot building on the Patriot High School campus, and is offered to all students in the district, said Mary Perez, director of applied and advanced learning at D 49. Perez and Vladislav ìIzzyî Izboinikov, coordinator of special student projects, iConnect Zone, are co-managers of the program.The program runs for two years; the first year introduces students to the building tradeís safety and first aid, hand and power tool safety, calculating fractions, reading and drawing blueprints and more. The second year is designed to take students to the next level, allowing students to specialize in areas like metal roofing, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), plumbing, electrical, shingling, tile and more. Perez said there is also the potential as upperclassmen to move into positions of leadership such as a co-superintendent or foreman to the new students.She said they want to enroll enough students to have two crews of 12 to 15 students to actually build a house in the next few years; about 30 students have already enrolled for the 2021-2022 school year.ìWe are trying to inform the families that trades are some of the hottest, top jobs in the state and across the country,î Perez said. ìEven during the pandemic, the construction industry was considered an essential industry in Colorado.î She said parents have been hesitant in the past to support their children getting into trade jobs because they saw them as dead-end careers. Students who enroll and finish the two-year program not only obtain a national industry accepted certificate, but also earn an associate of applied science degree while they are in high school, Perez said.D 49 is intentionally moving toward what they call ìcareer-connected learning,î she said. The construction program is an example of connecting what the students are learning to the broader career pathways available.ìWeíre hoping the relativity between why they are taking certain classes and what pathway they have chosen will turn some things around in our teenagerís heads; this is a perfect example of how math will apply to their career pathway,î she said.Izboinikov said they want the students to feel better about going to school, knowing that what they are learning is going to help them with life.At present, Jim Baumann is the only instructor for the program. ìWe want the community to know, in a year, we will be looking for a new instructor,î Perez said. ìWe are investing in our kids for the community, and it would be lovely if we could find someone retired from the construction industry that would like to give back and teach the students.î The plan is for one instructor to work with the students on building the house and one to be in the shop with the new students.Izboinikov said they are excited about the program. ìWe just need to get the parents excited,î he said. ìWeíre ready to enroll the kids and provide certification.îGlenn Hard, executive director of the CICC, said they help facilitate construction-based educational programs in high schools. They provide funding for materials and the curriculum via the Home Builders Institute, the national leader for career training†in†the building industry, he said. They also pay for any U.S. Department of Labor and Industry recognized certificates the students earn, and they are willing to offer a stipend above and beyond the school salary to any instructor the schools hire for the program, Hard said.ìThe beauty of this program and what has made it so successful is it started with industry backing,î he said. ìEverything about it is supported by the industry, so itís easy for schools to jump on the bandwagon because there is very little risk for them.îCICC funds the program through grant money and donations from building permits. ìWe receive donations from the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department; when a building permit is filed, the contractor pulling that permit has the opportunity to donate to CICC,î Hard said. ìThat in itself is a strong message that the industry supports this program.îHe said the construction industry recognizes that not every student is meant to go to college; this program is an opportunity to expose young people to the construction industry and to learn about a variety of career pathways.Hard said, ìThere is a tremendous variety of viable and lucrative pathways in the construction industry. We live in a ëbuiltí environment and we canít outsource that environment to another country; therefore, we need skilled workers.î He said whether the students decide to enter the construction field or not, they will gain employment skills and confidence, which will benefit them regardless of what they choose.He said this program also makes the high school experience more relevant to the students. ìWeíve seen kids who were marginal students at best enroll in the construction course,î he said. ìThey recognize they have some ability, they have success, they score well and that bleeds into the rest of their high school experience.î
