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Study Hall from School News Network
A career in auto repair? For some students, it starts in high school
We’ve all been there: the car won’t start and we don’t know why. That’s where auto mechanics save the day, and that’s what students are learning in Ron Denning’s automotive maintenance and repair class at Grandville High School.
Grandville is one of many districts building their own programs in career and technical education, alongside a Kent ISD effort to double enrollment in CTE programs by 2030. (Read our series on these efforts here.) In this episode, Denning and student Shane Pauuwe talk to host Charles Honey about the benefits and possible careers in auto repair and other CTE fields.
For more great stories about the changes and challenges of school districts in West Michigan, check out our website, School News Network.org. And if you have ideas for future programs, feel free to send them to us at SNN@kentisd.org. Thanks for listening, and happy studying!
Well, hello everyone and welcome to Study Hall from School News Network, your window into the public schools of Kent County, michigan. We're here today at Granville High School in the classroom of Ron Denning, a vocational education instructor. We are here. I call it a classroom, but it's really a shop, so if you can visualize that we're surrounded by, you know, tubs, of wood materials. We've got a motorcycle somebody's working on in the corner Got a wonderful Trans Am right behind us here. We've got some. I'm sorry, what do you call this, ron?
Speaker 1:Just like little rooms here with students used for drywalling Drywall practice Little partitions, little partitions, right, they can build them and tear them down again, and build them and tear them down again. So students do all kinds of cool, interesting stuff in this room. I'm looking forward to finding out more about it. Mr Denning teaches auto maintenance and repair. For many years he's taught home maintenance and repair and he teaches engine tech. He has a bachelor's and master's degrees from Western Michigan University and is in his 24th year of teaching, all in Granville. Also with us is Shane Powey, a senior taking Mr Denning's automotive maintenance and repair class as well as an independent study focusing on automotive, I believe, and you've also taken, I think, engine technology and home maintenance and repair. Is that right? So, ron and Shane, welcome to Study Hall. Thanks for having us. Thanks for being here. Now, mr Denning's automotive maintenance and repair courses in particular, which I think you said are like fairly new in your teaching.
Speaker 2:Yes, this is just the second year, the fourth semester for that class.
Speaker 1:So they are popular items. In fact, two years ago he recruited a couple students to restore a 1985 Pontiac Firebird.
Speaker 2:We're still working on it. Still working on it.
Speaker 1:Pretty much tearing it down to the chassis and putting it back together.
Speaker 2:It's a lot of work. It's a lot of work. Yeah, we're just kind of slowly doing it. It belongs to a buddy of mine. It was his first car he got when he was 14.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So you know, we don't get every opportunity to work on it all the time, which is why it's kind of a little slow going right now.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, it's not roadworthy yet.
Speaker 2:Oh, no, no, no, no, it's just a rusty shell. Just a rusty shell, yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, School News Network did a little video on that. You can look it up if you like. It's pretty cool. So Mr Denning's courses are among many skilled trades classes that Granville offers to provide students the opportunity to join the workforce right after they graduate. Some of the courses are EMS, aeronautics, drone pilot certification and flights. Ap computer science, which qualifies students to work in entry-level computer tech and analyst positions. 3d, CAD and architectural drawing, and a foreign language seal of biliteracy, which qualifies students for translator positions. The school board is very much behind this. The president of the board, Jason Highbor, says for Granville, developing career-ready graduates is not just a talking point. It's part of our mission Now.
Speaker 1:Career and technical education, better known as CTE, is a big push in schools right now.
Speaker 1:The thinking of many students is why pile up a lot of loan debt in college when you could learn a skilled trade in high school and get right into a good paying job after graduation? In that vein, Kent ISD has launched the Career Prep 2030 initiative, which is aimed at expanding CTE offerings throughout the 20 public schools districts of Kent County. Of course, the Kent Career Tech Center famously offers a ton of great programs, from construction to culinary arts to law enforcement, but that means students have to travel to the Tech Center on the Kent ISD campus. But many local districts have begun their own CTE programs in their own districts, on their own campuses, on their own campuses. Career Prep 2030 sets a goal to double student participation in CTE programs by reaching 10,000 students within the next five years. That would be about 67% of the total 11th and 12th grade population in Kent ISD, which is about 15,000 plus students currently. So, Ron, as someone who's long taught these courses, these CTE courses, why do you think they're valuable and needed for students?
Speaker 2:Well, they're practical, right. I mean, these are things that you run into almost every day of your life.
Speaker 2:Like my automotive maintenance and repair class, I tell the students on day one this I'm not designing that course to be a difficult, intimidating class. I want it to be a class where if you are scared of cars or know nothing about cars, you're not afraid to take it, like that's the class for you. I tell students like Shane here. I say you know, if you tinker all the time or you wrench on the weekend, it might not be the class for you because it might be a little too easy. You know, and I think the classies have zero problem with the class, which is fine. I think he likes kind of having some of those electives and I welcome him in there because a lot of times I you know I look over to Shane sometimes if there's something I have a question on.
Speaker 2:I don't know if today there was an example. I forget there was something, but I'm just like. I ask him like have you ever done this? Have you come across this? And I know I can always count on him to kind of help on those parts but yeah.
Speaker 2:So these are just practical things that you run into. Home maintenance repair is like you know how many people if you own a house, you want to do some, some repair maintenance work to it. But if you don't have that knowledge or skillset, you know what are you going to do? Well, it's going to cost you a lot of money, right, you're going to have to hire someone to do it versus being able to do yourself. Save some money. And you know and that's not even talking about the career aspirations you know, I had a student.
Speaker 2:He wanted to go into an Explorer um, being electrician after high school and he had my home maintenance and repair class and that's just one unit in that class. And I spoke to my brother, um, who was an electrician, and I told him about this and I said to my brother I said Tom, um, but all he knows is just what he got from this one unit in a one semester class. He said you know, ron, that's a lot more than a lot of guys know coming into the field from his experience. Said so you know that right there, told me that, and I tell students this too where, if you do want to explore some of these as career fields. You're getting plenty of knowledge to get yourself started. It's not to take place of on-the-job training, because you can't replace that right.
Speaker 2:But, hopefully it gives them confidence to go into these career fields or doing repair work at home. I tell students after drywalling you have one of two types of students that come out of that. One is okay. I know how much work is involved. I know it's pretty messy.
Speaker 2:I know I want to hire someone you know, but they know what to look for if they hire someone and the other person is okay. I know it's a lot of work, I know it's really messy, but you know I could save a lot of money doing it myself and I think I could handle that, yeah.
Speaker 1:So you know the same applies to all the other different so, Shane, I want to talk to you in just a second about the auto maintenance particularly, but in the home maintenance area. What are some of the things that come along with that? What are some of the particular skills that you teach students in the home maintenance area?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we have four basic units. The first one is foundations and framing and that basic idea behind that. And I tell them with each of these I'm not trying to make you into framers, electricians, plumbers or drywallers, but I want you to have that confidence to explore, diving deeper into something. So the foundations of framing is basically so they have the understanding of what you're working with. What's the anatomy of the house, the structure that you can't typically see, yeah, and then electrical is another unit in there, and then so they end up wiring an outlet, a switch, a light.
Speaker 2:And it's so funny, that particular project. When they're done with that project and they we test it you know how many people you walk into a. You turn on the light switch, light comes on. You don't think anything of it because why should you? Right? But when they do that project so many of these students you know they finish it, they test it, they switch the light on and off, and light comes on and off and it's now the coolest thing in the world and they should be proud of it, right? But a lot of them are like here, can we do that again? Can I, you know, take a video of it to show my dad and that's just really cool just to see their face light up with that.
Speaker 2:Thanks. I'll be here all week, but plumbing is another unit, so they learn about. You know waistlines and ventilation. Ventilation is one thing that's often overlooked. You know those little plastic pipes sticking out of your roof.
Speaker 2:you know your house there and they learn how to solder copper pipe and even though it's like we look into some of the other different types of material for water supply lines, which copper is going away. But let's be honest, most people you buy a house is going to have copper for your water supply because it hasn't transitioned over to everything yet, so you know how to repair that. It's handy. And then, like I said before, drywalling it's a great skill.
Speaker 1:It's you know, it's like an art form where the more you do it, the better you get at it. Yeah, it's heavy and also you've got to do those seams and make them look seamless.
Speaker 2:You don't want to see where the two panels come together at all.
Speaker 1:That's right. So, Shane, you're taking the auto maintenance repair. You're doing an independent study. What drives your interest, so to speak, in auto maintenance and repair? Why are you taking the class and what do you want to do with?
Speaker 3:them, I guess auto maintenance and repair. Growing up, my dad's been a mechanic, so I've spent a lot of time with him, you know. I mean when I can remember changing oil in the garage, you know if he's in the garage I'm in the garage with him. Just, you know, by his side. Learn that stuff and I don't know. I've grown up around it and I've become kind of fond of it. I like it and you know stuff to keep me busy. Does your dad own a garage or is he no?
Speaker 1:Okay, he just works as a mechanic. He works as a mechanic in an auto repair shop.
Speaker 3:He's a diesel mechanic. He works on semi trucks, so you kind of grew up with it, it comes naturally to you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so what are you thinking in terms of where you want to go with these skills that you're acquiring?
Speaker 3:So I actually am currently employed as a service technician at a outdoor power equipment dealer and I might continue with that or I might become a mechanic, or I don't know exactly what I'm doing yet, but it will be something along the lines of a mechanic.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay. What do you like about mechanics? What do you like about working with mechanical things?
Speaker 3:I like to work with my hands. I don't mind getting dirty. And I don't mind getting dirty, I don't know, it's just I like it.
Speaker 2:The problem-solving aspect. Yeah, the problem-solving definitely. Not that we're short on problem-solving right now no, not at all.
Speaker 1:Sounds like you got a little bit with this thing right here, just getting it going right. Yep, Tell us about this car behind us, Ron, the Trans Am, and what you're trying to do with that.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I got this car a couple years ago and the guy I bought it from couldn't get it running. Well, the backstory, I guess, is that the original owner of this driving it all over and then ended up blowing a head gasket. So when this happened he parked it to get ready to repair it, because it's not one. If you're doing doing even if you're doing yourself, it's an extensive kind of repair, but if someone's doing it it's expensive. So he parked it and at some point this gentleman passed away and then his mother took possession of the car and the car continued to sit and this is an unknown number of years I don't know how long it was it was and then she sold it to the guy I bought it from who could not get it running.
Speaker 2:And now hindsight, it's obvious reasons because the cylinders, because all that coolant sitting in there, the cylinders from the blown head gasket over those years it was all rusted and pitted in the inside of the cylinder. So my students pulled the drivetrain, they stripped the engine down to a bare block and I sent it to a machine shop to inspect it and they said this is salvageable, we can save this. So they bored over the cylinders 20,000s each, and all new pistons, rings, bearings, camshaft, everything got it all put you know, back together and put it in the car, and now we're just doing a little troubleshooting and it's it's not starting right now. So so we have fuel, we have spark. This is troubleshooting.
Speaker 1:This is what's fun about it. You want a car to start. You want the car to start. Typically yeah, typically Well, I'll take your word on all that. I don't understand pretty much any of it, but I think that's one of the great things about auto mechanics is you take your car into a garage you don't know what's going wrong with it. These people do.
Speaker 2:That's what's great about having kids like Shane in class. There's others where he's experienced enough, and it's not just my classes. He has his own at-home experience right where, when he has his independent study work and he's working on the Trans Am, I can run things off of him. I can troubleshoot and think, hey, what do you think of this?
Speaker 1:And he does the same thing, you know, and it's kind of like think things through together and try and get you know a plan formulated. Yeah, yeah. And you said you have your, your own car, correct? You take your wheels to school, do you? Yep, what is?
Speaker 3:the car. It's 2013, ram 2500.
Speaker 1:Okay is it in pretty good running order?
Speaker 3:yeah yeah, it is is now.
Speaker 1:It is now Done some work to it, done some work to it, okay. So what is it like for you to get a car in running order? I would think it's kind of satisfying, right.
Speaker 3:Oh, very satisfying yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, if you were in a garage working with your dad, somebody comes in, can't get to work or whatever, can't take their kids to school Is there like a service aspect in your mind, like, yeah, I'm going to help this person get this car running because they need the car? Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3:Yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:So what are you thinking in terms of post-graduation? Are you thinking of going right into the workforce? Do you have something lined up or what's your plan right now? So I'm planning on going right into the workforce. Do you have something lined up or what's your plan right now?
Speaker 3:So I'm planning on going right into the workforce. So I work part-time right now, but I mean, it's pretty well lined up for me to start full-time right out of high school. Okay, they'll send me to whatever training they want me to attend and whatever classes, yeah, but I plan on going right to the workforce, yeah.
Speaker 1:Now, this is not an auto repair business, correct? No?
Speaker 3:this is more of a small engine. Small engine, for instance A lot of the same stuff applies to it. Yeah, but like lawnmowers, snowblowers, stuff like that.
Speaker 1:Okay, stuff that gets burned out or whatever. Yeah, so right now you don't have a college in in mind. Is I do not? Is that, um, because you just don't need it? Or is it also like yeah, I don't want to take on college debt, I don't want to pay tuition when I don't have to?
Speaker 3:right. So that's definitely the tuition and the debt. I definitely don't want to do that and at the same time, I really don't need it to go into the field.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:And you know you find a decent employer. They are willing to send you and pay for whatever training you need to do that job. They want you to do Sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so the employer will help you get the special skills that you might need to do that job right Now. I think people might have a bit of a simplistic view of the traditional mechanic. You know they think of like Junior down in the garage. You know he's got grease on his overalls, he's got a wrench in his hand. But I mean auto cars are pretty high-tech, now, right, I mean there's some high-tech skills you need, right, ron? Oh, absolutely. There's some high-tech skills you need, right, ron? Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 2:It's crazy. If you were to take a look at, just, for example, one of the many types of ASC certification tests they have to take, it would blow your mind. The knowledge level that they have to have is crazy. Plus, if you think about it, time is money, right, so they cannot waste any time trying to figure stuff out, like if they had a 94 Trans Am sitting there that wasn't starting right. It's like they have to have it figured out that day, that afternoon right.
Speaker 2:So their skill set is quite outstanding and, you know, it's one of those things where, unless it affects a person directly, because maybe they have- some problems and they send it to someone. I think it's lost on a lot of people. You know, I think now maybe people are realizing how complex systems are that they have to know.
Speaker 1:Highly computerized right. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Still comes down to. You know you have air compression, you know fuel, yeah, spark. There's a lot of other sensors in there now.
Speaker 1:Sure, sure, and then you've got the whole. What pollution mitigation measures?
Speaker 2:right, yeah, emissions and everything. Now you've got hybrids right Some cars are EV all.
Speaker 1:Does that all go into your course? Do students get a little familiar with all of these? Not much with EV.
Speaker 2:No, not anything with that yet but that's definitely something we've been keeping an eye on and everything, and we have a couple new courses coming up for a new automotive facility that the district is building and that's something that's going to be touched up on there a little bit in there. The district's building an automotive facility.
Speaker 1:They are yeah.
Speaker 2:Really, where's this going to be? It's going to be over on Kenawa, okay. So with Well Built, which is a Weller company, worked with them helping get this facility built and so it has three large garage bays and it's going to be a new program, kctc. They are aware of it, they love it because they turn students away all the time. So it's going to be a two-year program where, when they're done, students can take the ASE maintenance and light duty certification exam, okay, and have an entry-level certification right out of high school and it's good for two years. So in those two years after they can get their hours in and upgrade that to a regular ASE non-entry-level certification. Wow, regular ESE non-entry level certification.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 2:And then so they'll have everything lifts in there wheel alignment, tire changing look at suspension steering, brakes, engine transmission, everything. And then there's also three large bus garage bays with a lift for our maintenance department. But that also the idea is that will be a future diesel tech program for the facility.
Speaker 1:Okay, after Shane's already graduated and gone. Okay, too bad, too bad. What are you working on right now in your classes? What's the particular things that you're doing?
Speaker 3:Automotive maintenance and repair. Right now we're learning about the math side of automotive. The math side, yeah, okay. And independent study I'm working on that. Trans Am back there. Okay, what about the math side of automotive? The math side, yeah, okay. And independent study I'm working on that. Trans Am back there.
Speaker 1:Okay, what is the math side of automotive repair?
Speaker 2:We just started this unit, so a lot of it is some of the different you know it could be units that you might come across, okay, or conversions, you know, nothing too complex, okay, things like that, and you know, because what you don't want to have happen is like, for example, if you have to do some conversions on, let's say, a torque setting on how tight to make a bolt, and you get that mixed up, now you're over-tightening something and you're breaking parts, you're breaking bolts. It could be just simple conversions if you're trying to figure things out like how many liters an engine is and you know, and just things like that that you might come across.
Speaker 1:Do academics come into play very much with these CTE kind of courses that you have to know some of the academics to learn the skills?
Speaker 2:No, yeah, I try, especially with this class, I try to keep it where any student can take it and I've told them, with automotive math I said I know there's some of you that are taking AP calculus right now and this seems way super easy. Others, you know they're going to be, you know, uh, just as quickly as they can, make sure to get every little bit of notes down because maybe they have trouble, uh, with some remedial math. Sure, uh, to add some more of a practical aspect to it. Yeah, a little bit more real world that you might come across.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah. So did you say that they're backed up at the tech center in terms of the automotive program, from what I understand?
Speaker 2:and hear, depending on the programs they're turning students away.
Speaker 1:Turning students away, yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, I don't know the numbers or anything. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:But part of this Granville Automotive Facility.
Speaker 2:They welcome it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they welcome it because they're happy to have the students taking it here rather than trying to get into their program.
Speaker 2:Yep, absolutely so. That should start next year.
Speaker 1:Okay. So that's part of this whole thing where they're trying to ramp up the Career Prop 2030, right where they get more students locally involved with CDE.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely, you know. And one thing with that I think it's worth mentioning.
Speaker 1:You know, I love how the state, counties and everything are recognizing the need for these careers and needing workers in these skilled trades.
Speaker 2:It's so so important, Right. One of the things I think worth mentioning is the need for instructors for these areas. Okay, you know certain areas. When you get one where it's, you know, like the new classes that we're having, you can districts can hire someone who maybe they're a mechanic service technician and they kind of want to, you know, kind of come out of the field and just kind of start teaching, you know kind of come out of the field and just kind of start teaching.
Speaker 2:they can get, you know, a teaching kind of certificate, you know, certification to teach it based on their profession, but that's not always possible, you know, and that doesn't take into account the, you know, like all the education courses that I took in college, you know they don't have those, so there was. I had a student from Western observe my classes second semester last year.
Speaker 2:It's part of a kind of a pre-student teaching that a lot of universities have. And he's in my exact area, industrial education, and he told me that he was one of two students at Western in that field two and I believe I'm not positive on this, but I believe there's only like three universities in Michigan that offer that, so you got to do the math on there.
Speaker 2:And so I've seen a lot of these districts that don't have these programs anymore. Yeah, a lot of them, you know, I really believe is not because the districts don't feel they're important or don't, you know, want them as an offering for their students, it's because they can't find anyone to teach it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, wow. How did you get into it and why?
Speaker 2:You know, growing up in the Upper Peninsula, I had to my family had to fix things yourself right, like a lot of families up there, you know, based on, you know, financial needs and whatnot.
Speaker 2:So I grew up watching just like Shane, you know with his dad. I grew up watching my dad work on stuff whether it's the house remodeling it or, you know, getting his 85 Jeep Cherokee, you know, keep it running and stuff. So I always see that. So I kind of did a little bit of that too with my first vehicles, that I had so kind of developed this passion for that hands-on type of you know, whether it's, you know, working on a house, working on a car. Just I just loved that, you know, and I wanted to do something similar. So so when I was at Western, I started in mechanical engineering and then I saw that this was a possibility. I just kind of started exploring that a little bit and just wanted to do that, you know, because I just love being able to help someone learn something new and maybe develop a passion too for it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Well, in September you were part of a roundtable on student debt. It was part, I think, of the debt forgiveness program that the Department of Education was doing at that time and the Education Secretary, miguel Cardona, kind of convened that and at that time you talked a little bit about your own experience with debt. How did that go? And you're teaching now as an alternative to accumulating student debt. Was that a factor in your interest in this area?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So it's interesting because growing up in the UP you know one might think that well, why didn't he just go into the skilled trades? I mean, surely there's enough of them in the UP and I probably wouldn't be wrong. But at the time I wanted so badly to kind of change my course. As far as you know, I knew I wanted to go to college and kind of at the time I was thinking get more and I wanted to get out of the Upper Peninsula at the time as well.
Speaker 1:Menominee.
Speaker 2:you said right North of Menominee, stevenson, stevenson okay, I tell people at the time I say I wanted to quote unquote get to civilization. And it's funny because it's 180.
Speaker 3:Now I kind of want to get away from civilization and go to the U.
Speaker 2:So I knew I wanted to go to college but I was kind of on my own with that. My older siblings went to college, so I knew kind of what was involved. But I went to Western seeking this. But it also meant there's a new financial burden right.
Speaker 2:Taking on this debt. My parents were in no position to help me financially. They would have loved to, they would have given everything to help me, but they weren't able to. So taking on this debt many, many people do all the time it was just something that I just accepted, I was going to live with. I was going to always have this debt because, like a lot of the college debt and like myself, you pay on it for 20, 25 years and your balance doesn't go down.
Speaker 1:You're just paying the interest.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and even then you're not paying all the interest.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:So it's like yeah, it's not a good situation Right right.
Speaker 2:So I was one of the many, many, many public loan forgiveness recipients and got that forgiven.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it totally changed things when I met in that panel discussion with Secretary Cordona. So I told them when I first got married, my wife and I we had a weekly food budget of $50. And you think about how much way more than that I was paying every month of my student loans?
Speaker 1:And it's just like something's wrong there.
Speaker 2:So you know, I also tell people knowing that and knowing all these things, I want to preface it with. I absolutely love what I do. I love what I teach. It feels like I'm not going to work every day. It honestly feels that way. However, if I was graduating right now and doing everything all over again, I would go into a skilled trade. I would not take on that debt.
Speaker 1:No kidding, you see, a would not take on that debt. No kidding, you see a lot of students making that choice More and more, yeah, more and more.
Speaker 2:There's some students I know that in the past I've had them because I used to also teach computer-aided drafting and architecture and those types of classes and there were students where, like they were just automatically that yeah, I'm going to go into engineering, I'm going to go into engineering. It's just like feeding the students right into there. I remember talking about some of these skilled trades and they started looking into them more. There were some of them that I know they changed their mind on it and they went into a skilled trade instead because of that.
Speaker 1:Sure Well, tuition, of course, is getting out of sight. It's just kind of crazy how much it's gotten to be. Yeah, it's not going down anytime soon. I would not want to pay what I would pay at MSU now, versus what I paid at the time that I went through Shane. So when we're talking about costs and so forth, when you're looking at a career and basically it sounds like engine repair right now is what you're looking at.
Speaker 3:You know how, in terms of pay, is it something you can live on as a family? Oh, absolutely, yeah, yeah, um, I mean you look at the average pay across america, whatever, and I mean it's no lower, okay, okay yeah, so you don't worry about that aspect of it's like you feel like you can make a good living.
Speaker 1:Oh, 100 yes yeah, what would you say to other students who might be considering like one of these skilled trades areas versus maybe doing a college track? What would be your advice to them?
Speaker 3:um, I say, you know, do your research and honestly, a big part of it's knowing people, um, in the trades, people you can talk to, people you can ask questions, people you can look to for guidance, advice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know, just do your research and see if it's something that you'd like to do yeah, so so do a little research before you make that decision. But yeah, you think what it's been a good option for you, it's all.
Speaker 2:Yes, it has definitely, I think job shadowing is something oh needs to be done across the board. I think Shane is in a fortunate situation where he's able to see from his dad firsthand. I had a student that wanted to go. What was it? He wanted to be an architect. So I suggested this. So he job shadowed an architect and the next day when he came back to class I asked him how it went. He's like it was great, thank you. I'm like cool, so you want to be an architect? He's like no, I don't, because it was at least when he job shadowed. There was too much like cubicle work, sitting at a desk Right, I want to get out there. So what did he do? He went into construction management.
Speaker 1:Very similar right.
Speaker 2:But hands-on outside doing stuff like that.
Speaker 1:And aren't a lot of the trades around here really dying for people, like dying for students to come out with these skills?
Speaker 2:Oh my goodness yes, a lot of them. One of the issues too, and I was just speaking with the Senate Majority Leader for Michigan at a conference this past week about this. We're going to continue discussions on this.
Speaker 2:In Michigan, like many states, if you're under 18, you can't work at any of these places and do any of these things. So they want skilled workers in these areas, but 16-year-olds 17-year-olds they can't get any experience in high school that would benefit them greatly going into this field. There's a lot of states that do allow it, so what they do is they have like a tiered approach where 16-year-olds they let them do some things, but some more critical areas they don't let them do. 17-year-olds it opens it up and they let a few more things. So there is groundwork out there already that other states are doing, because I know, like labor laws, stuff like that, they want to make sure they're not violating any rules, of course, but other states are working around that as well, or with it, I should say. So that's one area that I think could really greatly benefit the whole workforce and students getting that experience.
Speaker 1:Sure Well guys, thanks so much. It's been great talking with you. I really appreciate your time yeah thanks for having us.
Speaker 2:It's been great talking with you.
Speaker 1:I really appreciate your time. Yeah, thanks for having us. This was great. Yeah, I really had fun talking about it. I hope you enjoyed the conversation and, listeners, I hope you enjoyed it too. It's been a pleasure to be with you, as always, and I look forward to joining you again soon on Study Hall, on the School News Network webpage or wherever you get your podcasts. So see you next time and don't forget your pencils.
