Post #9 – Renovate / Expand High School Skilled Trades Curriculum
Eagle Vision II
Many of our NCHS graduates are discovering an increased demand for skilled trades in the job marketplace, especially locally. To effectively compete for these jobs, however, specialized training is often required. Student interest in Skilled Trades is ever increasing. Currently the NCHS curriculum offers courses in Welding and Fabrication, Auto Mechanics, Ag. Construction, Ag. Biological Science, Nurse Assistant Certification, Business Administration, and Family and Consumer Science. Those courses offering hands on training are especially in high demand, to the point that participation in some higher-level courses is restricted based on GPA (examples: Ag Power Mechanics and Auto Mechanics). The current welding shop is extremely crowded, limiting hands on welding time for students. There is no available space in the high school to conduct the Ag. Construction classes. As a temporary measure, these classes are conducted in a hoop barn located on the west side of school property. This barn does protect construction power tools, etc. from inclement weather, but due to its construction type (canvas sides and top) it is not possible to heat this barn. Because of the location of the barn, travel time from the main building to the hoop barn reduces actual class time.
To address these deficiencies the Renovation and Expansion Project scope would:
- Renovate and expand the current welding shop by ~ 30%.
- Upgrade one of the Ag. Classrooms to serve as a “clean room” to house CAD drafting equipment and electronic instrumentation / circuitry. This room would still serve as a classroom for other Skilled Trades courses.
- Add a “warehouse type” Industrial Technology Multipurpose room. Enclosed within this room would be multiple student work stations focused on masonry, electrical, plumbing, and electronics skills. This room would also house the wood construction power tools as well as provide adequate space to construct small buildings / projects.
The expansion of the Skilled Trades facilities, along with the added curriculum, will better prepare our students who choose to pursue advanced training at a trade school, or in some cases, provide the basic knowledge needed to pursue Skilled Trades careers directly out of high school.
A conceptual building drawing of the overall JH/HS facility layout is shown below followed by an expanded cut-out of the planned Skilled Trades renovation.
