Construction Trades

The Construction Trades Career Academy is a competency-based training program designed to assure graduating students have demonstrated knowledge and skills essential to perform basic skills in the construction workplace. The Academy will prepare students for jobs which require constructional skills including: woodworking, basic rough framing, roofing, basic drywall installation, and working from a set of blueprints. The Construction Trades Academy training will prepare gradates to enter the building trades sector in positions such as: carpenter, carpenter helper, drywall installer, roofer, mason assistant, cabinet maker assistant, landscape worker and painter. The combination of skills gained through this training is highly transferable to construction trades jobs in many sectors of the economy.

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Job Outlook

Required Courses

Woodworking I
Woodworking II
Advanced Woodworking
Construction Technology I
Advanced Construction Technology
Work Seminar
Real-World Experience

Recommended Courses

Drafting I through CAD
Drafting II through CAD
Introduction to Industrial Technology
Electricity & Electronics I
Project Lead the Way Courses

Career Options

High School and 2-year college: carpenter, carpenter helper, drywall installer, roofer, mason assistant, cabinet maker assistant, landscape worker, and painter.

Work Seminar
Work Seminar is an on-campus business course used in conjunction with internship and work-based learning experiences. Student interested in obtaining high school credit through interning should register for Work Seminar. This course gives students the opportunity to explore various careers and build essential foundational skills in the area of problem-solving, decision-making, and critical thinking. Aptitude and personality analysis are explored along with work safety, resume building, interview preparation, and budgeting. Soft skills taught throughout the course include: responsibility at the workplace, taking initiative, reliability, workplace ethics, and communication skills.

Job Skills

In addition to having technical skills, employers expect their workers to have other skills such as:

Listening Skills
Effective Communication
Digital Citizenship
Problem-solving Skills
Time Management
Tools and Equipment Management
Professionalism
Integrity

Postsecondary Programs

Upon successful completion of this program, trainees are eligible for enrollment in college, community college, or technical college programs in construction trades or related fields.

Tony Hommes

Tony Hommes has been an educator since 2001 teaching Technology Education courses specialized in Project Lead the Way, Construction, Engineering, Robotics, and Manufacturing. He has spent time as the Assistant Director of 360° Center of Excellence and has coordinated robotics competitions, summer camps, and teacher workshops. He has worked for St. Cloud State University specializing in connecting area schools in Northern Minnesota with industry helping to establish high school programming that creates work-based learning opportunities for students. Since 2001 he has worked throughout the Bemidji area in the building industry and brings his talents teaching skills and creating pathways to success for the students in the Construction Trades Academy at Bemidji High School.

Business and Industry Experiences/Partners

Headwaters Regional Development Commission, Headwaters Housing Development Corporation, Hill’s Plumbing & Heating, Knife River Corporation, Higgins Heating, Weibolt Electric, Zetah Construction, Kraus Anderson, Con’s Masonry, Headwaters Homebuilders Association, Dick’s Plumbing & Heating, Northwest Technical College, Carpenters Union Local 1934.

Students in the academy do research on their mechanical career interests, tour local construction sites, attend career fairs, and have opportunities to intern and job shadow for construction trades employment.