The Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board is launching a construction academy at St. Joseph's and F.J. Brennan Catholic High School.
The program will allow Grade 11 and 12 students prepare for a career in the trades, while earning credits for an apprenticeship and receiving paid training. The program at St. Joe's focuses on carpentry, while the focus at Brennan will be masonry.
"We focused on two large components on construction, mainly construction and the masonry, but it doesn't preclude students from branching out into electrical, plumbing, HVAC, heating and cooling, any of the above, all of the above," says Dan Fister, executive superintendent of innovation and experiential learning.
The program is a partnership with Habitat for Humanity, the Windsor Construction Association, the Windsor Essex Home Builders' Association and the Ontario Masonry Training Centre and St. Clair College.
"[Students] are going to be in a position to learn from our community partners by gaining up to 1,000 hours of cooperative education experience, along with a paid work placement in the summer and they are going to get into one of the hottest sectors that we're aware of right now," says Fister.
An open house for parents and students is being held Thursday April 20, at 6:30pm.
Students out of Grade 10 will have to apply to get into the program and go through an interview process. Applications need to be in by the end of the month.
