As the Coordinator for Student Leadership and Engagement at Central Campus, Gretchen Watznauer wears many hats. This week it’s a hardhat, standard issue for the school’s first Skilled Trades Academy.

In January we reported on the establishment of the district’s Skilled Trades Alliance, a partnership between some of the career/tech programs at Central Campus and community businesses concerned about a shortage of qualified employees.

Upwards of 100 high school students signed up for this summer’s sneak peek at the program, according to Watznauer. “20-25 of them are girls, by the way,” she said. Construction: it’s not just for guys anymore.

Areas of study at Central Campus included in the new initiative are homebuilding, painting/drywall, carpentry, electrical, masonry, concrete, plumbing, HVAC, welding and revit modeling.

Some of them, like homebuilding and welding, are longstanding. Others, like plumbing and HVAC, are new to the mix, thanks to the investment made by local contractors trying to head off a shortage of skilled workers.

“HVAC and plumbing are available this fall,” said Watznauer. “We plan to add the electrical component in 2018-19.”

Private sector stakeholders in the building trades contributed nearly $1.5 million in startup funding for the STA, money that not only underwrote the summer academy, but also will subsidize staffing for the expanded regular curriculum during the school year. And Watznauer points out a specific payoff the program will lead to beyond generalized skills training in a program that overall will feature an increased emphasis on commercial construction.

“Students will be able to earn a CAMT credential,” she noted. Certified Apartment Maintenance Technician, that is. Fixers, in other words; jacks of multiple trades.

The summer academy is jammed with activities and opportunities. There are plenty of fieldtrips to job sites like the Kum & Go headquarters under construction downtown across from Western Gateway Park and trade unions like Local 33 of the Plumbers and Steamfitters.

Students will also be at Central Campus long enough to complete a hands-on project. They’re all expected to build themselves a toolbox. When you think about it, that’s just what the partnership between DMPS and STA community sponsors represents.