Carpentry Teacher Mr. Scott Hill (left) and Technology Education Teacher Mr. Christian Miller with the tools they received thanks to the Schools to Skills Grant.
The Pulaski County High School Career and Technical Education program recently received a helping hand from the Home Builders Institute (HBI), the Home Depot Foundation, and the National Housing Endowment (NHE). This award, known as the Schools to Skills Grant, provides much-needed tools for students in the Carpentry class, taught by Mr. Scott Hill.
“The Home Builders Institute and the Home Builders Association of the New River Valley have been great partners in our efforts to develop skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen for the workforce,” Megan Atkinson, Director of the CTE and Governor’s STEM Academy said. “This award has been the gift that keeps on giving. Our teachers attended professional development from industry experts, our students have access to PACT curriculum developed by industry professionals, and our shops are now outfitted with upgraded tools and supplies for students to further develop the skills they learn in CTE classes. Strong Industry partnerships continue to help us connect what our students learn in the classroom/shop to their chosen career pathways.”
The grant, which provides over $3,000 worth of tools delivered directly from Home Depot and an additional $1,500 in gift cards from Home Depot, helps provide tools to shops at the school to allow students to learn valuable skills as they prepare for future employment.
In addition to the tools and funding for tools, the grant also provides funding for HBI PACT licensing, PACT licensing renewal, training for two instructors, and for Student Assessment Fees for a period not to exceed two years. This brings the total grant award to $13,000.
PACT is the HBI curriculum with the goal of helping more students learn about career pathways in residential construction, and ultimately having more students enter this industry. Even during these challenging times, HBI has been dedicated to working with secondary educational institutions to support student access to school-based instructional programs and skills training in the residential building and construction trades.
HBI, after delivery of the tools, conducts a virtual orientation for schools and programs who receive this grant to help them get started. HBI instructors normally visit with the locations to provide on-site, in-person training for new programs, helping to develop certification plans to meet the needs of each program and to ensure that educators have the necessary tools to teach the curriculum. In return, schools normally provide data on the progress of those programs. HBI also works with the programs, using follow up visits, to assist in other ways.