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Boardmember proposes 10-week building-trades short course to boost entry-level hires
Summary
A board member described a 10-week, small-class trades program that previously produced a roughly 65% employment rate and suggested the district consider offering a similar course during the fall semester to help students enter construction trades.
A board member proposed reviving a short building-trades training program to give residents basic on-the-job skills and improve employability, describing a 10-week model that used journeymen and masters as instructors.
"What I had created was a 10 week program. It was 2 hours, 1 night a week," said Mister Johnson during the meeting, explaining the course's structure and small class size (six to 12 students) and saying the prior program achieved about a 65% employment rate. Johnson said the program previously charged $25 for the 10 weeks when run as a nonprofit and that journeymen and masters taught practical, hands-on skills rather than theory.
Johnson told colleagues that the trade-specific theory and further credentialing could be pursued afterward through an apprenticeship program sponsored by the state and formal coursework at PHSC. He asked that the district consider implementing something similar in the coming fall semester to give people basic skills so they can be hired by local contractors.
No formal vote or commitment was recorded at the informal meeting. Board members said they supported discussing options and asked staff to consider how such a program might be timed and operated alongside school offerings.
If pursued, the program would aim to produce entry-level workers who could be employed under journeyman supervision and then pursue state apprenticeship pathways or further study at PHSC.
