Albany Options School now has a new program with a focus in construction, offering students hands-on training in 20 different aspects of the construction trade.
It's part of the alternative high school's Career Technical Education program, which offers pathways directly into careers or trade schools upon graduation. Students who develop enough skills to qualify for a certificate from the Carpenters International Training Fund will more quickly be able to secure an apprenticeship once they graduate.
“Our goal is to create a bridge into other careers,” said Gabe Diaz, the construction teacher who built the project from scratch. “I want to make my kids competitive on the waiting list to get into trade school.”
Diaz teaches five classes throughout the day, and while some continue with him throughout the year, others will only stay on for a couple of weeks. At AOS, the students usually only stay long enough to catch up on credits and transfer back to West Albany or South Albany high schools.
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But with the CTE Construction program, some students want to stick around longer so they can learn more practical skills, Diaz said.
Diaz previously worked as the bilingual liaison at AOS before starting the construction program. Originally from Puerto Rico, Diaz earned an architecture degree and put it aside to move to Oregon and work in the school district.
When AOS Principal Mark Hannan asked Diaz if he would like to become a teacher, Diaz knew exactly what he wanted to do.
“He saw in me what I never saw in myself,” Diaz said.
Diaz has the workroom set up into stations, and students spend two weeks learning from hands-on projects and three weeks learning from a book to get the technical aspects down. The students learn carpentry, plumbing, roofing, electrical skills, painting and more. Some have even started to fix their sinks and toilets at home using the knowledge they get at school.
Diaz said another rewarding part of the program is watching the kids bond with their parents over shared skill sets and experiences.
There are 38 students in the program, and Diaz hopes it will grow every year. He runs an Instagram account for the class, @cteconstructiontrade, where he posts pictures and videos of students working on projects and highlights their progress.
“Eventually I want to have the kids running the show,” he said.
Local businesses can help the program by "Adopting a Trade", where a company adopts a station that represents the company trade. Businesses can contribute anything they can to help the students with hands-on learning, or even send in a guest speaker to talk to the class regarding the profession.
"Whatever is scrap for a company could be a class for us," Diaz said.
Joanna Mann covers education for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6076 or Joanna.Mann@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @joanna_mann_.
Joanna Mann
Reporter
Joanna Mann (she/her) is the education and food & drink reporter for Mid-Valley Media. She has a bachelor's in Journalism from the University of Oregon. When she's not breaking the news, she can be found crocheting and taking pictures of her cat, Lulu.
