Marshall schools to pilot building-trades CTE at Opportunity High School next year

Marshall Public Schools staff presented plans to launch a building-trades career-and-technical education (CTE) pathway at the Opportunity High School starting next school year, aiming to give students hands-on experience and direct pathways into apprenticeships and union jobs.

"There's a serious lack of construction trades training at the secondary level, really everywhere," Ben Wallace said in describing the rationale for the program. Wallace said the district has met with the West Michigan Building Trades Council, local unions and partners such as KCC to design a program that provides short blocks of hands-on instruction from trade experts, OSHA credentials, and stackable modules so graduates are better positioned to enter apprenticeships.

The program would include a visible "apprenticeship wall" with QR codes linking to information on each trade, training requirements, pay and apprenticeship length; Wallace said the district is pursuing grant funding to pay for the walls and details of implementation. Administrators said the program is envisioned as a two-year pathway typically for juniors and seniors, would use some partnership-provided equipment and could include related pathways such as fire science or graphic design in later phases.

Superintendent and staff discussed funding mechanics: a 0.49 FTE allocation tied to career-center funding will remain in-district for students who participate. Staff said they will seek necessary state approvals, pursue grants and begin a phased rollout to ensure quality and safety training.

The board did not take an action to approve the program at this meeting but asked staff to continue work and return with more details.