Teachers’ Toolkit: Construction, HVAC, Plumbing, and Welding
Job-ready training fills a growing need for a skilled job force
Rick Webster, Construction Trades
“An advisory committee contact says contractors can’t find people and that they need an influx of new skilled workers. Students can walk away from my program career- or college-ready with a complete skill set ready for a variety of construction trades — carpentry, architecture, project management. The opportunities and benefits for construction workers around here, especially in the Middletown, Delaware and Philadelphia areas, are probably the best we’ve seen in a long time.”
Carlton Thompson, HVAC Technology and Plumbing
“We have contractor advisory meetings here and they tell us every time that they need people. They may go through 100 people just to get 10 or 12. There are many pathways from plumbing and HVAC — installations, service work, pipefitting, home heating and cooling, steam and commercial plumbing in hospitals and public spaces. My main goal is to get students working with their hands and finding lifelong skills.”
Charlie Wood, Welding and Metals Technology
“Our students learn welding and metal fabrication. All of my seniors from last year have jobs and four of my juniors who had summer internships now have offers to come back when they graduate. Any job website will show you about the job availability in the trades. In welding in particular, our students can name where they want to go. Once they get their journeyman’s license, they’ll be making $51 an hour.”
