- The Jackson Area Career Center has 19 different programs.
- Students participating in the construction program have built almost 36 homes over the years.
From the classroom, to the job site, high school students at the Jackson Area Career Center are learning new skills to help build themselves a brighter future. Programs include cosmetology, nursing, and culinary arts, but one program's impact on Jackson's neighborhoods stands out.
Junior Jamai Williams, and 112 others, are beginning their path towards a career in construction. He shares, "The thing with construction...I always like to build things, like, do-it-yourself type things, and construction, I think, is a very useful skill."
The construction program is a two-year program. Students start the construction program by learning the basics, from how to use a hammer, to basic plumbing and electrical. Second year students lessons become much more real, as they work to build a home.
Principal, Dan Draper, states, "Yes, it's student built homes, but the level of expectations is no different than if (you) were to go through a contractor that you would hire to build your house. Our instructors that we have on site, they preach about 'This isn't just a lab. It's our lab every day, but this is a home.'"
Draper continues, "At this site house, the subcontractor that we used for electrical was a former student 22 years ago. This is what carved out his path when he was a student in high school, to want to continue on. That's what's so amazing about the Jackson Area Career Center, the path it gets kids on, that's a lot more focused. They can start to see themselves in that space to become that person."
The students' 35th home was listed on the market in October, and construction for the 36th home is currently underway.
December 1st marks the beginning of Career Exploration and Awareness Month, which means more and more Jackson high-schoolers, as young as ninth grade, are visiting the Career Center.
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