Milan Area Schools (MAS) are adding a few new classes at the high school that will aim to give students some important skills they can use as a future homeowner or in their career path.
The MAS Board of Education approved by a unanimous vote at their Sept. 11 meeting to add three new courses at MHS: Principles of Building Trades, Principles of Building and Construction Trades, and Building and Construction Trades 2.
On hand to introduce the course proposals were MAS Superintendent Bryan Girbach and Milan High School (MHS) Principal Aaron Shinn. They said it’s been a topic of discussion for some time now to add these courses. Noting there are some Milan students (4 students) taking similar courses at the South & West Washtenaw Consortium, they said spaces are limited there while there is a big demand at MHS for students wanting to take these Career & Technical Education courses.
The demand is “north of 100 students” who are interested in taking building/construction courses. Girbach said they’re excited to offer these new courses. It’s there hope that local businesses connected with construction and building will want to be involved in some way with the program.
Echoing the other board members, school board president Andrew Cislo said they are also excited about this because it also fits into the district’s strategic planning and what has been expressed by the community, which is to have more opportunities for life skills and hands on learning.
Under course description it says, “The Building Trades program which encompasses an entry level building course and two upper level CTE courses prepares a student for employment in the construction industry. There is currently a serious shortage of construction workers and a major goal of this program is to fill that gap by preparing our students with the skills necessary for employment immediately upon graduation.”
The Principles of Building Trades course is described this was: This class will teach students/future homeowners basic construction practices to prepare for a career in construction or simply to be able to complete basic home maintenance. The students will create, design and construct selected projects while learning about and using many different hand tools. Emphasis is placed on shop safety and proper use of hand tools. Areas highlighted: design process, problem solving, measurement, technology skills and employability skills, drafting equipment and hand tools. There will be both lab and classroom activities.
Building and Construction Trades 2 will allow students to go to the next level to help them prepare even more for a career in construction.
