Not Your Grandpa’s Shop Class: Technical High School Prepares Students for the Trades
These motivated high school students spend half their days learning a trade. Some of them will go to college; other graduates will begin apprenticeships. But every student is taking full advantage of thousands of dollars of free technical education that will prepare them for high-paying careers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What's gonna happen is as we compress this, it actually squeezes real tight and seals itself.
Any water once now?
Because what does water like to do?
It likes to follow Campbell's right.
It's gonna prevent it from going inside this meter camp.
You're gonna have friends that don't even have full-time jobs, and you're making you know anywhere between 30 and 50, 60,000 a year, you know what I mean, right after the apprenticeship program.
Buying your first house.
You know, I mean that guy bought his first house at 24 years old.
That's electrical superintendent Chad Cook.
And the 24-year-old homeowner he's talking about is an electrician with a great start to his career.
With the economy ever uncertain, young people trained as electricians, plumbers, auto mechanics, food service hospitality, and health care workers, they all will have a tremendous advantage in life.
On this edition of On the Job, From Hired to Retired, we visit a high school where students train for great jobs and a lifetime of opportunity.
And speaking of opportunity, you should know that our sponsor, Express Employment Professionals, is all about opportunity.
In fact, over the past 34 years, Express Employment Professionals has put millions of people to work in meaningful and fulfilling jobs and careers.
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I'm your host, Steve Mencher, with episode two of On the Job from Hired to Retired.
I don't know about you, but I went to a high school that didn't have any kind of shop class or home ec or anything like that.
Ours was the fame high school in New York City.
We specialized in music and visual arts, and our sister school across town added dance and theater to the mix.
But I am old enough to remember that many of my male friends and peers would have been learning how to use tools and build things and fix cars as part of high school.
While girls were often sent off to classes where they learned how to cook and type and partake in other mysteries.
Well, today in Wheaton, Maryland, one high school takes the shop class and stands it on its ear.
At Thomas Edison High School of Technology, students staff auto shops, a busy restaurant, a computer and technical workshop, and a full-service salon.
They're learning about health careers as well.
And get this every two years, these students design and build a home that's put on the market and sold.
This year's house might go for, say, six hundred thousand dollars or more.
This is a college and career technical high school.
That's Peter Cahall, principal at Edison.
There's 25 comprehensive high schools in Montgomery County, and so we draw from all 25, and kids either come here in the morning for two and a half hours and then go back to the homeschool for their core academic classes, or the reverse.
It takes the place of some of their electives at their home school.
When I visited Edison recently, Carlos Nalda, the college and career information coordinator, walked me around the school.
It's important to note that students here, more than 85% of them go on to community college, four-year colleges, technical schools, and apprenticeships.
They're starting on their careers, but they know that more education is also in the cards.
Some of them will just do plumbing or carpentry or car repair as a hobby.
For others, they've already decided what the future looks like, and they're getting a giant head start.
One thing that's a bit surprising as you go through the school is that students are teaching other students in ways that confirm and extend what they're learning.
So if you did 25 milliliters on there, you might want to use this one actually, because this one's in milliliters.
Then you can do 25 milliliters on here.
I I've never wanted to be a teacher or anything like that, but I enjoy helping.
When it comes to like cosmetology, I enjoy like helping them and teaching them like tricks and stuff on how to do things faster.
Ella Miller is a natural in the salon.
And despite what she says, a born teacher helping other newer students.
But her dream is to go to Hollywood and learn how to do the magic that makes us suspend our disbelief at the movies, from fake blood to aging makeup to creating characters like Spock in Star Trek, whose pointy ears have to be just right.
I asked her about Rick Baker, a superstar in the movie makeup field.
He won Oscars for Men in Black and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, among other films.
One of the schools I was looking at actually is a scholarship named after him.
He's very good.
My inspiration is this woman named Vanille.
She's spectacular.
Her work is very detailed.
She's always been someone I look up to.
And it's no wonder.
Among V Neil's Oscar nominations, and she won the statuette for this one, is Mrs. Doubtfire, where the whole movie hinges on making Robin Williams into a believable woman.
She also did makeup for Tim Burton's phantasmagorical Beetlejuice.
Ella's favorite recent flick is X-Men Apocalypse, where one actor's makeup blew people's minds.
Whether or not Ella succeeds in Hollywood, free education in the basics of hair and makeup is a pretty good deal.
It's incredible that I don't have to like I only have to pay for like my basic kit.
I don't have to pay for like a normal school, which would be like 35 to 40,000 for like the one year, and this is three years, and it's not costing me anywhere near that for my kit, which is the only thing I have to pay for.
So that's just the incredible opportunity that I'm so glad I was able to find it.
Around the corner from the hair salon, students are serving lunch to members of the community at Cafe Edison.
And learning all the tricks of the trade from two longtime pros, Jason Podick and Teresa Marie Smith.
How long on the club?
This is going to table 15, thank you.
Table 15, seat one.
Did you ever wonder what the difference is between a waiter who knows what you ordered and one who asks, who gets this burger?
Well, for hospitality teacher Jason Podick, one of these situations is just not okay.
They have to put it at the correct table number.
For example, this is table 17.
Everything's got to go to position 1 or position 2.
Because a big thing we do is separate chests.
I'm looking for that the customer satisfies.
Now I I I notice when I read restaurant reviews, and when I go to a restaurant, there's a big difference between someone who brings the food out to the table and kind of asks, you know, the bidding, oh, I've got the such and such versus what I hear going on in your kitchen saying this goes to position two, take it right out.
Yeah, because we don't auction food.
That's why I spend a lot of time teaching them the position numbers.
And sometimes I get confused and put in the wrong one.
But it's a machine.
We have a machine in place that if everyone does their job, everything rows rolls smoothly.
Chef Theresa Marie Smith runs the kind of kitchen that will be familiar to anyone who's a fan of cooking shows on TV.
Besides teaching them skills, knife cuts, measuring, how to use commercial equipment, cooking methods, But we also teach kids how to behave in the kitchen because if you don't behave well in the kitchen, you won't last very long in the kitchen.
Right, and and some of them might get the kind of cliched behavior that they see on TV where it's very rigorous, so almost military.
That still exists.
So you have to try teach them how to follow orders.
I try.
Some learn well and some learn less well.
Blanca, an honor roll junior at Montgomery Blair High School, in addition to being a student at Edison, is one of those learning well.
Here's what's on her mind as she brings plates to six women who appear to be in their seventies and eighties.
I hope they enjoy the food.
I hope they are having a wonderful server, like my manners.
I hope they're liking my manners and my personality.
Blanca isn't sure she'll go into a career in food service.
Her plan is to stay at Edison and take medical assistant classes next year.
But for Luis, who's studying plumbing, Edison provides a leg up in a field he's pretty sure he'd like to stay in for the long term.
For me, that's my future job.
That's what I'm Looking for right now, and it's really helpful to get classes like this for free.
And right now, every day I sit here, I do my math, and learn everything as much I can and try to get better each day as much I can.
As Luis works math problems, his teacher is getting ready for the rest of the class to arrive.
My name is Stan Holcomb.
I'm the plumbing teacher at Edison High School, and uh I'm a licensed master plumber.
I'm licensed in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
This class I've taught for this is going on my 11th year, and this has been one of the most rewarding things that I could ever have imagined.
One of the reasons is that my father was the third African American to have a Master Plumber's license in Washington, DC.
And it's always been about giving back, bringing people into the trade because traditionally the trade has always been for those who are high school dropouts or uneducated.
But now it's so much more streamlined because uh, especially in this class is a lot of math, especially linear measurements.
But one good thing about this is that all plumbers have to be licensed in just about every state in the United States.
And in order to be licensed, you have to complete a four-year apprentice program.
Students at Edison need only two more years of apprenticeship after they graduate high school, allowing them to save thousands of dollars.
That kind of saving is a common refrain in all the programs here.
Most plumbers would be in their mid-20s at least when they finish an apprenticeship, but not the students from Edison.
They're getting a license by the time they're 20 years old.
Then two years later, they can actually get a master's license, and they're 22 years old when they can have their own business.
And they start off with almost $19 an hour plus five dollars in benefits per hour.
So every year they get a five dollar raise.
One thing that's a little complicated about Edison is that three nonprofits help with funneling money into the program for important things like fees to take tests and earn certificates, as well as materials and other expenses.
One big contribution of the foundations is their connection to companies that help the students keep up with the very latest techniques and knowledge in the various trades, and also directly hire students who want to work right out of high school.
Today, two representatives from a local electric contractor are visiting, encouraging kids to apply for a newly minted scholarship to help them afford expenses connected to apprenticeship in their industry.
I mean, you know, as an industry at a whole, no matter which company you guys want to go for, we want to recruit for the industry.
I mean, there's a value there because even though you may take this and go work for somebody else, in a couple years you may be knocking on my doorstep.
Hey, by the way, you know, you gave me that scholarship three years ago, and you know, here's where I'm at now.
Great.
You know what I mean?
Absolutely, and we're gonna you may end up right back on my doorstep.
So that this investment may still pay off, even if you chose to go somewhere else.
And that's how we look at it and value it.
Yeah, so to recap, Ultimate Electric is here.
They're a business partner working with us, supporting the programs, and they're here to offer you an opportunity if you're interested in working in the electrical industry.
It gives you the chance to participate in a post-secondary program, post-secondary meaning after high school training program while working and being able to pay your bills.
So, any questions about that?
Seems like the only question would be where do I sign up.
We're gonna take a little break.
And when we come back, we'll visit the home these students are building in a lovely neighborhood, convenient to stores, restaurants, and major thoroughfares, but tucked away from the hustle and bustle of traffic.
It's a student-designed and built home that will sell well north of $500,000.
You're listening to On the Job from Hired to Retired, brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.
I'm Steve Mencher.
Music by Ben Thede.
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At Thomas Edison High School of Technology, the construction students in various trades perform a small miracle every two years.
They design, build, and sell a house.
My name's Temma.
I'm the site manager at the student build house.
Okay, why don't you take me on a little tour before the kids get here?
Okay.
This is your living room.
And it's got plenty of windows in it.
Which is good.
This over here is your dining room.
And this is your Eden kitchen.
There's going to be a window right there at the sink.
You got right here.
These two windows look into the family room.
This area over here is going to be a deck.
And then there's going to be a whole flight of stairs going down to the backyard.
This over here is your family room.
We're going to get skylights in here.
And we're going to have skylights in the kitchen also in the cathedral ceiling.
Your fireplace is there.
Once we get the skylights in this room's going to be one of the brightest ones around.
This over here.
It's early on a Monday morning.
And the students are on their way.
They'll be divided into work crews, tackling plumbing, electrical, HVAC, masonry, and other necessary tasks.
And not only did the kids build a house, but the kids also design the house.
So one student every year is entered in a competition about designing a house, and um they design it.
So this is a student-built house, one of a kind.
Fabulous.
How many square feet is this house?
What do you call it?
I think it's going to be around 4,000.
Wow, that's a pretty big house.
Yeah, oh, yeah.
It's uh it it'll it'll be a nice house.
They're gonna be up on the second floor.
There's gonna be a deck going out on top of the front porch.
Now, someone would come and say it was a little hard to imagine that kids, high school kids are actually building this house.
Do you is it that they're sitting around watching and you guys are doing all the work, or do you make them work?
I'm getting too old to work.
No.
Uh no, the uh the students enjoy it.
They would rather be out here working, the teachers explain what they have to do, and then we let the kids go ahead and do it.
And sometimes they make mistakes, but that's okay.
That's it's a learning process.
I'm a really active person, so sitting in the classroom all day is just kind of not my thing.
So once I discovered Edison and the carpentry program, like I was really interested, so I really enjoy it.
It's awesome.
Educators know that students have many different learning styles.
And for some, like Joseph Bunke, sitting all day at a desk is torture.
That's why this carpentry student has been thriving at Edison and loves the daily visits to the student built house.
Since the students build a complete house every two years, last year Bunky learned finish work, cabinetry, drywall, and so forth.
This year, starting the new house has been about the outside and the basic bones of the house.
I've been learning a lot about basic framing and putting in windows and putting in uh floor joys and in the subfloor, so it's been great.
As a second year student, Bunky, who has flowing blonde hair beneath his hard hat, has been in charge of a small crew of beginners.
It feels good to actually help someone and teach them what I know.
Another crew leader is Jordan Johnson in the HVAC heating ventilation and air conditioning program.
How many uh young women are in the HVAC program?
Um, just one.
What do you say?
One which is you.
How does that feel?
Is it is that comfortable?
You feel like you're one of the guys?
Do they treat you just like anybody else?
Yeah, very comfortable.
Uh yeah, they treat me as one of the guys they treat me as a regular person.
Jordan Johnson is a 17-year-old senior at Seneca Valley High School and at Edison.
She takes quite a trip back and forth each day, but that's just fine with her.
The past few weeks have been busy for the HVAC crew at the student-built house.
Uh, we learn how to construct the duck work right now.
We're learning how to put the trunk line in for the fans.
And right now for the return ducks too.
Jordan's enthusiasm for this work has continued to grow since last summer when she worked for her uncle's heating and air conditioning business.
We did new construction which means put in the pipes for like the liquid line and the suction line like running it through the house so that means that you got air conditioning all over the house.
We did service calls which means check to see if it's enough Freon, if the system's running correctly and if we need to fix anything we fix it.
And did they treat you again just sort of like one of the guys, let you do anything that you were able to do?
Yeah, they treat me like one of the guys, showing me what I'm supposed to do, what I'm not supposed to do, and all of the other stuff.
Great.
Seems like, you know, even in this day and age that you will be a bit of a pioneer doing what you're doing.
Yeah.
How does that feel?
That's awesome.
Tell me more about that.
Um, meaning like I can show other people that what I was doing influence other women to do it too, that not only guys can do this type of work.
Okay, wonderful.
Now I saw you are already helping out some of your classmates with things.
Yeah, it's awesome.
How do you how do you take on that role?
Um, I teach I take it as a learning lesson and teaching others saying that you should do this instead of the other way, or giving them easier or easier ways to do it instead of the hard way.
Great, and what what has that make you feel?
Makes you feel awesome because I'm able to teach somebody else what I've learned from my teacher.
Has anyone uh talked to you about what a what a great opportunity this is.
Tell me what you're feeling about you know the chance to learn these things before you're even out of high school.
Um it's really good because you get to you can either choose to go to college to further your infrar your learning or you can just go right into the workforce, which is really good.
Which do you think you're gonna do?
Um, doing do both.
Troy Lancaster is a para professional educator at the job site.
From his vantage point, the kids at work on the house today are going to have a big advantage over their peers who might go to college but haven't picked up a trade.
By the time they're like 23, 24 years old, they're making like $30, $40 an hour versus when you're coming out of college, you may get lucky and find a job because I know jobs today are real scarce, and you know, these kids are have opportunities where if they take it very seriously, they'll be able to find a career right out of high school and not having to wait, you know, a long period of time like some of these college kids are doing nowadays.
See, I can already feel inside here it's kind of twisted because if you twist it really, really tight, and this cord might cost you know 40 or 50 dollars.
Paul Ross is another paraeducator on the site.
At the age of 68, he'd rather be doing this than anything else he can imagine.
He remembers when he started doing carpentry in 1965.
We were only allowed to carry lumber.
We weren't even allowed to pick up a hammer.
These guys are really lucky because they know how to hang doors, they know how to hang windows, they know how to do rafting, they know how to do layout.
That's a big deal.
To be you know, a high school student that knows how he to know how to build a $600,000 house.
I mean, that's a big deal.
A big deal indeed, as the crew from Thomas Edison High School of Technology in Wheaton, Maryland gets ready to knock off for the day.
That's all for this edition of On the Job from Hired to Retired from Express Employment Professionals.
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