Eighth grade may seem a bit early for your son or daughter to begin preparing for a career, but let me assure you that there are some very important things they can do to help them keep their options open for the days ahead. Many students today are expected to go on to college and further their education beyond high school. I would like you to take a few minutes and explore a possible option for your son or daughter which will require no debt for college loans, and allow them to earn a good living with benefits while they are in school. An apprenticeship with the Sheet Metal Workers provides an opportunity like that.

Apprentices work 40 hours a week and earn good wages and benefits. They attend school intermittently while they are apprentices, and collect unemployment while they do so. They have excellent health insurance which includes dental, eyeglass and prescription coverage. They will contribute to a pension as well as an individual annuity to build a nest egg for retirement. I think any parent would be interested in at least exploring this opportunity with their child.
Vocational training programs provide a fine service to companies looking for young people with some experience, but they may not be right for your child. Construction trades are interested in all candidates who appreciate craftsmanship, but we do not want young people to sacrifice their high school education in order to enroll in a vocational program. Construction trades require individuals, who read, write and calculate well. Any vocational program which sacrifices high school education in favor of more vocational training may not be the best choice for somebody interested in a career in the construction trades.

Our apprenticeship program will provide all of the necessary training to become a Building Trades Craftsperson. If your son or daughter is interested in things which appeal to their tactile senses, encourage them to take as many shop classes and mechanical drawing classes as their academic curriculum will allow. This will help them to maintain good math skills and communication skills. They should be encouraged to take algebra, geometry and trigonometry where available. They should take English classes which stress grammar as well as written and oral communication. These choices will not force any early decisions concerning their career. Once they get to be seniors, they will still have all of the academic credits they need to either apply for apprenticeship in the construction trades or to go on to college should they decide that’s what they want to do.

We need bright energetic people in our trade. We need educated individuals who can think on their feet and quickly solve problems. Just because someone enjoys working with their hands, does not make them unintelligent. At the same time it does not mean they should sacrifice their education in classical academic curriculum. As an apprentice Sheet Metal Worker, your child will earn 49 credits towards an Associate Degree from CCAC. By taking an additional five classes, they can attain their degree for less than $2,000.00.

If you feel your son or daughter might be right for a career in the construction trades, we would love to discuss the possibilities with you. Please contact us or visit us at our Training Center.