Colorado Springs nonprofit brings building trades into classrooms

Jan. 26—A Colorado Springs nonprofit is teaming up with high schools across the state to bring construction industry-based vocational education into classrooms.

Careers in Construction Colorado, which was launched in 2015 by leading homebuilders in Colorado Springs, has partnered with nearly 50 high schools in support of a twofold purpose: To bolster the state's construction workforce and to expose young Coloradans to the array of opportunities the industry offers.

"Students deserve choices, and the industry deserves a workforce," said operations manager Marlo Asher. "A lot of people in the industry are on the verge of retiring, and there aren't enough young people coming in to fill their positions. So they end up having to work longer than they want to."

The program has grown exponentially since its inception, officials said. Eight years ago, CICC started with 15 students from a single high school in Colorado Springs. Now more than 2,300 students across the state are being introduced to the building trades at an early age and learning that college isn't the only route to a lucrative career.

"If you want to go to college, great," Asher said. "We're definitely not discouraging that. But college isn't for everyone, and students need to start thinking about the next step after high school. We're helping with that."

The program's growth has benefited from a shift in recent years toward Career and Technical Education and work-based learning, spokeswoman Sydney White said. More than 400 Colorado high schools currently offer CTE programs, according to Department of Education data.

"In just the past year, (the program has) grown by 20 schools," said school liaison Keira Conley.

Nikki Carter, Widefield School District 3's CTE director, has seen her district's program increase eightfold over the past few years.

"We have gone from 25, to 75, to 100, to over 200 students in the construction program," Carter said. "The students are meeting professionals in the industry, and they are transitioning from high school and going right to work with the skills they learn in this program."

Through the CICC program, students can acquire construction industry internships, do job shadowing, and earn up to 12 certificates that are recognized by the U.S. Labor Department, White said.

A mention of the construction industry often evokes images of a heavy equipment operator, or of a worker holding a "Stop/Slow" sign in the middle of a street. Few people outside the industry are aware of the depth and breadth of the building trades, Conley said.

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"We go into schools and we ask the students, 'How many trades do you think it takes to build a house from the ground up?'" Conley said. "Most students can't think of more than four or five. But it actually takes 85 separate trades — and that's just for a residential home."

The CICC program uses a curriculum provided by the Home Builders Institute. In the first year, students learn trade basics including industry materials, tool identification and construction math. The second year expands on the lessons of the first and includes exposure to plumbing, masonry, painting, carpentry, landscaping and a host of other building disciplines. Students earn a certificate on completion of each unit.

At Widefield and in other area districts, third- and fourth-year students participate in a home build.

"They take the foundational skills they learned during the first two years, and apply them toward building a modular home on-site, and then we move it onto someone's property," Carter said.

CICC program leaders hope that at least 20% of enrolled students will pursue a career in the building trades, officials said. But even if they decide not to join the construction industry, students will learn skills that will benefit them in the long run.

"When (students) understand the basics, they'll be able to do a lot of (home maintenance and repairs) on their own, without having to hire somebody," Conley said. "We also teach employability skills — resume building, how to do a job interview, how to work as part of a team — and those skills are transferable to any career path."

Students also develop an appreciation for the vital role the construction business plays in their everyday lives, Asher said.

"The streets they drive on, the sidewalks they walk on — even when they turn on a faucet — the construction industry is involved," she said. "It's not magic. It's time, talent and human hands."

The plan, officials said, is to place the CICC program into 65 Colorado schools by 2025. If successful, that would translate to about 5,000 enrolled students and, ideally, about 1,000 new construction professionals.

"We've got some work to do to get there," White said. "But last year we had 170 kids enter the construction industry from Colorado Springs alone. So we're definitely moving in the right direction."

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