Start them young
As you might have surmised,
encouraging kids from a young
age to pursue careers in the home
improvement industry is a key part
of closing the deficit. Initiatives like
NCCER’s Build Your Future works
to close the gap by giving children,
parents and educators the tools
they need to keep kids interested
in construction throughout their
childhood and well into high school
and beyond.
When it comes to convincing parents
and students that construction
is a viable, opportunistic career
path, Jennifer Wilkerson, NCCER’s
director of marketing, hits them
hard with facts. “Right now, the college debt in the
United States is $1.5 trillion. For $1.5 trillion, you
could buy 1,000 NFL franchises. The average time it
takes someone right now to pay back a bachelor’s
degree is 21 years. In
construction, you can
earn as you learn.”
Perhaps her most
intriguing point for
parents and students
is the career potential.
Wilkerson says,
“It’s really cool that
construction is one of the very few industries you
can go into and start out on your tools, just learning
a trade or a craft, and then become the CEO of a
company. There’s probably no other industry that
allows you to do that so easily.” NCCER.orgHigh schoolers to home pros
At Cross Keys High School and surrounding high
schools, shop is cool again! Once portrayed in
pop culture as the class for leather jacket-wearing
greasers, contemporary shop classes offer more
than just an opportunity to work with your hands.
For many DeKalb County students, career-centric
programs are opening imaginations and possibilities
beginning in high school.
As one of three technical high schools in the county,
DeKalb High School of Technology North, which ishoused inside of Cross Keys High School, enrolls
students in its Career, Technical and
Agricultural Education (CTAE) program. Classes are
offered in eight focus areas including construction
and manufacturing.
Once in the CTAE
program, students can
choose to specialize
in carpentry, electrical,
masonry or plumbing.
CTAE assistant
principal,
Scherita Daniel
pridefully explains that CTAE is preparing students
for lifelong experiences that are founded in
students' interests. Plus, she says, parents should
pay attention. “Find out with your kids where their
passion is because construction’s paying as much as
a person like me with three degrees.”
Through programs like CTAE, students are able to
graduate from high school and go confidently into
the workforce—in many cases with a job offer in
hand. Daniel says local businesses begin working
with enrolled students, and then seek them out after
graduation. “They’re coming out to work with our
students on campus. They’re coming to train
our kids, and then they’re hiring our kids.”
Talk about career readiness!
CrossKeysHS.DeKalb.K12.Ga.us“
Construction is one of the very few
industries you can go into and start
out just learning a trade or a craft, and
then become the CEO of a company.
”
—Jennifer WilkersonCROSS KEYS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TRAIN WITH PRECISION 2000 CONSTRUCTION COMPANY ON
VARIOUS BUILDING TECHNIQUES.63
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