Construction Academy

Summary:
The Adams County District 50 Construction Academy will offer relevant and challenging curriculum in the construction trades and the architectural, engineering and construction professions at the secondary and post-secondary level. The integration of traditional academic instruction with broad-based and trade-specific construction career training in a comprehensive high school setting makes the academy unique. Secondary students can major in a construction trade and graduate with an accredited high school diploma and receive preparatory technical instruction in preparation for college. After graduation and depending upon the instructional path taken by the student, students will be prepared to enter the construction workforce, a construction trade apprentice program, a community college, or a university. The local community college will use the academy facilities in the evenings and weekends to offer post-secondary level construction instruction to adults. The academy has been developed with assistance from and is supported by partnerships with local construction industries, state and national construction industry organizations, and Front Range Community College.

Goals:

1. Increase the high school completion and academic success of the participating student by using construction training to infuse relevance, rigor, and relationships into the curriculum
2. Prepare workers with specific trade skills for direct employment in the construction industry and/or advanced admission into a construction trade apprentice program.
3. Prepare individuals with specific academic and technical skills so they may enter an architectural, construction technology or construction management certificate or degree program at a community college or university.
4. Demonstrate a model for the development of similar academies in other industries

Not all students in the academy will necessarily pursue construction as a career; for some, the applied nature of the academy will provide a better path for mastery of both academic and life skills that can be applied in several industries.

Model:
The academy will be modeled on the successful academy at East Ridge High School in Chattanooga Tennessee. Key components of that model are:

1. Location in and connection with a comprehensive high school
2. High involvement by the construction community in design and ongoing operation
3. Some restrictions on entry into the program
4. Integration of academics and technical training
5. Integration of soft skills (teamwork, public presentation, job seeking, critical thinking) into the curriculum
6. Diverse technical training options

Academics and Curriculum:

1. The academy will incorporate secondary and post-secondary training, with Front Range Community College using the space in the evenings and perhaps weekends to train adults
2. Curriculum will be designed to give students a broad overview of construction processes, including the planning, design, engineering, and construction phases. Students will learn hand and computer drafting, principles in construction technology/science, management principles, and hands-on construction trade skills.
3. Exact skills training options will be developed through a needs assessment with the construction industry
4. The academy will be designed to challenge college-bound students and those who seek training for direct entry into the workforce
5. Entry into the academy will be selective, to increase student motivation and provide them an incentive to perform at a high level 

Timeline: The goal is to begin the academy in fall 2010