7 minute read
Building Trades Class
By Bob Fitch
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Building trades classes at Harrisburg High School are not just about pounding nails. Instead, classes address a multifaceted set of community needs including economic development, filling construction industry job positions and, most importantly, providing students a hands-on look at viable and lucrative career options .
Several years ago, information gathered from students, local businesses, the Chamber of Commerce and the Department of Labor pointed to a gap in the district’s curriculum . “One of the main things that came up was the construction field in general,” said Dr . Michael Amolins, director of instruction and federal programs The Career & Technical Education Department at Harrisburg High School has been enhanced with at Harrisburg High School . the addition of a building trades class . Photo by Jon Klemme . “Obviously there’s a lot of growth and building going on in our district – and we didn’t have a charitable arm, the Sioux Empire Home Builders related program for our kids.” Before the 2019-2020 school Care Foundation . year, HHS had only one class which covered the foundations The Care Foundation to that point had been focused of construction-related skills, said Ryan Rollinger, principal at on scholarships and donations of tools for schools . The Harrisburg High School . group experimented with an after-school skills class for
Rollinger, Amolins and others traveled to school districts elementary and middle school students . According to Chase with existing building trades programs to look at their Patten, president of the Home Builders Care Foundation and facilities and discuss their curriculum . Yankton High School, operations manager at Builders Millwork and Window, “We in particular, had facilities which Harrisburg used as a model. found the interest was there, for sure. For sixth grade kids,
Amolins said, “The philosophy in our Career & Technical the after-school program was great. But, by the time kids got Education Department has been to start the conversation to seventh and eighth grade, there was a conflict with other with community partners, asking what their needs are, such extracurriculars, which reduced participation because kids as: ‘As a business, when you hire an employee, what are you were forced to choose between our program and sports.” missing? What skills can we teach our kids in the classroom Patten said partnership discussions with the Harrisburg so that they’re better prepared for an internship or their School District meshed well with the Care Foundation’s goal to first job?’ That approach has been effective to help ensure create greater interest in construction-related careers among that when a young person joins a firm, they can make a students in the greater Sioux Falls area . contribution to the company . ” Community partner number two was the South Dakota
Community partner number one was the Home Builders Department of Education. The department’s Workforce Association of the Sioux Empire and, more specifically, HBA’s Education Program strives to enhance infrastructure to
support needs in career and technical education in South Dakota communities. Amolins said a $250,000 investment from the Home Builders Care Foundation was matched by a $250,000 grant from the Workforce Education Program and, finally, a commitment from the school district for land, equipment and staff.
The result was an 8,000-square-foot, state of the art, stand-alone building trades facility on the HHS campus called the Home Builders Academy. Right now, the goal is for students to complete construction of one house per school year. As the program grows, the hope is to build one house per semester . Students can earn college credit through the class .
Community partner number three was Affordable Housing Solutions, a Sioux Falls-based organization which provides affordable, decent, safe and non-discriminatory housing options for people with limited financial resources. The program strives to empower residents to achieve their life goals and further economic self-sufficiency. Amolins said Affordable Housing Solutions provides all the building materials for the house students are building at Harrisburg High School plus purchases a lot for the finished house and moves the house to the site .
The plan was for the home built at HHS to be completed last spring, but Covid altered the timetable . Student construction was resurrected in the fall and the home is now close to complete. It will be moved to a lot in Sioux Falls, but
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Student Dylan Elrod visits with instructor Terry Konenche . Photo by Jon Klemme .
discussions are underway with Affordable Housing Solutions to try to ensure future houses built at HHS will be located in Harrisburg .
Hiring a qualified building trades instructor is not an easy task, Rollinger said, because typically construction-related careers pay more than teaching does . Fortunately, through the Home Builders Association, Harrisburg High connected with Terry Konechne, owner of Konechne Building for more than 40 years, who also has experience as a teacher and has a passion for shaping the skills and mindset of young people who show interest in construction careers .
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Standing in front of the house built by HHS students are Harrisburg School District’s Michael Amolins and Ryan Rollinger with Chane Patten of the Sioux Empire Home Builders Care Foundation .
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“We not only make sure the kids learn or are capable, we have what’s called soft skills or our ‘social measurement.’ In other words, these kids are graded in how they conduct themselves and treat their fellow classmates, the kind of language they use . Be nice, be friendly, go out and help people . Make sure you present a good face. We really stress that,” said Konechne, who sees his part in the program as a way to give back to the industry.
“I tell kids, you need to feel good about the house we’re building and the family we’re helping. Ten years from now, you can drive by that house and say ‘That’s the house we built when I was in high school.’” Because of his first-hand experience in how difficult it is to put a construction crew together, Konenche anticipates construction firms will come knocking. “If I were a builder, I’d come down here and talk to the teacher and find out which students show promise. What better place to look for good, competent help? For those in the Home Builders Association and others who hear what we’re doing, word is going to get around . ”
That’s exactly what the Home Builders Care Foundation is hoping for, said Patten. Whether it’s carpentry, plumbing, electrical or another construction sub-set, “We want people to understand that what’s here is not jobs – it’s careers. Some are going to take a semester of this and find out they hate it. For others at this young age, the influence of this class is going to be pretty impactful. We’ve got great kids in this community and if we can keep them here, that’s even better.”
A long-term goal is to expand the facility’s use to audiences beyond Harrisburg High School students. It’s possible other school districts may be able to send students to the HHS classes or a summer academy might be established as a satellite of the construction program at Southeast Technical College . Rollinger, Amolins and Patten have all fielded calls from people outside Harrisburg who are interested and curious about the building trades facility and classes here .
Patten said, “That was our goal – to garner the interest and have a domino effect.” In 2020, building permits totaled nearly a billion dollars in Sioux Falls alone . “That’s a huge number . It takes a ton of infrastructure to make all that construction happen. If you sit down with anyone in our industry, all that we talk about is the ability to get people.” There’s also a need to develop the next generation of company owners and managers.
Rollinger is adamant about career prospects in the building trades. “For those who choose this career path, I know they will be a taxpayer and a community member; they’ll have a family . It’s everything you want out of a citizen.”
The construction industry offers multiple lanes toward lucrative careers. A two-year technical college degree – with a low debt load – is a great jumping off point, the group said. Plus, Patten added, “Some of the jobs in this industry, a young person with a high school education and a good work ethic can garner as high a paying job as you would get with a four-year degree. It just takes knowledge, understanding and work ethic.”
