With job turnover increasing and a shortage of young people looking to skilled trades as a career path, educators and industry partners continue to develop outreach and training programs to foster increased participation.
One such program—TradeUp!—teaches Madison Park Middle School students about trade labor jobs to make them aware of potential career paths they may not encounter as part of the traditional education experience.
Operated as a collaboration between construction and labor professionals, TradeUp! is a six-month program that brings professionals to the school and students to worksites for both instruction and hands-on experience in areas like masonry, HVAC, carpentry, electrical, plumbing and other trade skills.
Other schools may be added to the TradeUp! participation efforts in the future.
For high school students interested in career and technical training, West-MEC has partnerships with two charter schools and 14 public districts for elective coursework. While working toward their high school diplomas, students can also get a jump on trade training and certification, and most West-MEC courses have dual credit for both high school and college.
Industry professionals serve on school advisory boards and work with instructors to keep standards and procedures up to date.
West-MEC reports more than 5,000 students earned industry certification in the 2021-2022 school year and that its central program has a passing rate of 100%. (Source)