The Sioux City Community School District’s Career Academy celebrated a ribbon-cutting for a new construction trades building this week.
“I just think at my age, I think it's great for kids to get be able to get in here and have the opportunity to learn,” said 17-year-old Nathaniel Hamman.
Hamman is an East High senior who attends classes at the facility located just off Business Hwy. 75 in Sioux City.
“I'm hoping to learn electrical and plumbing and how you do all the foundation work and just a little bit of everything that goes into building a house," he said. "And I can just apply that to everything else in my life. And that would be good information to know."
Students study skills valued by potential employers, like Skip Perley, the CEO of Thomson Solutions Group and Board President of the Sioux City Public Schools Foundation.
“There’s no lack of opportunity. We need workers, and we need them at a faster pace than we've ever had before,” he said.
Perley says his company hires electricians, plumbers, sheet metal workers, ironworkers, data technicians, programmers, IT professionals, engineers and administrators. He said there are shortages across the board.
“There's just not enough workers," he said. "And I think part of that is demographics. There just aren't enough humans. But for years, I think we looked down on kids who wanted to be in the trades. Fortunately, I think we realized the last couple of years that was short-sighted, and there are a lot of fabulous careers in the trades. And I think this is a great step in that direction."
Perley started his career as an electrician right out of high school, and students who attend the program will also go directly into the workforce or an apprenticeship program.
“They'll help us build America, and we have a lot to build,” Perley said.
Currently, 44 students are learning about plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and they're even building new homes, including some for Habitat for Humanity.
Hamman plans to graduate in December and move to Arizona. He says the hands-on learning he is receiving is helping him reach his goal.
“I want to have my own business," he said. "I'm hoping to get into self-storage.”
