Kettering-Fairmont High School in Ohio is set to develop a 25,000 square foot expansion to their career technology program. According to a report in Biz Journal, the $7 million project will also help lessen the labor shortage in the Dayton area, which is in need of more skilled workers.
“Quite honestly our construction list is longer than I can read out," Career Tech Principal Liz Jensen told Biz Journals. "(Our partners) are all calling for kids constantly.”
Students enrolled in Fairmont’s construction program earn an OSHA-30 card, making students appealing to local construction firms, the article reports.
One issue the program seeks to overcome, is bias against trade professions. Although she mentions the automotive industry specifically, Jenson's quote applies to the biases within construction as well.
"Some people are very hesitant to have their children become ‘grease monkeys,’ but we are now driving computers down the highway,” Jenson told Biz Journals.
The project is set to open fall 2020.
Source: Biz Journals
