General Building Trades

The Tennessee Technology Center at Ripley’s building trades program offers three basic certificates for secondary students enrolled in this training area. This dual enrollment program offers county high school students an opportunity to obtain basic carpentry skills including:  shop safety, use of hand and power tools, wood and wood products along with basic plumbing and electrical skills.  Each certificate would be achieved after demonstrating competencies in the basics of carpentry, residential electricity and plumbing.  Students are expected to enroll in the beginning of their junior year (exceptions may be considered upon referral from school counselors for the first initial classes).  Exposure to a Building Trades Curriculum should equip secondary school graduates with mathematical and mechanical skills necessary to function as production associates at local manufacturing plants.  Mastery of construction trade skills should prepare these same graduates for entry-level positions in the construction trades.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates there will be 15% increase in the number of jobs in the Construction and Extraction trades by the year 2012.  Within this group BLS is forecasting a 10.1% increase in the need for carpenters.  This 10.1% increase equates to 319,000 openings due to growth and replacements for the period 2002-20012.  Job opportunities for electricians are forecast to increase 23.4% or approximately 285,000 jobs during the same period.  Opportunities for plumbers will increase 18.7% for a total of 205,000 jobs by 2012. 

Input from local employers indicates that a severe shortage of graduates with basic skills associated with training in the construction trades.  Exposing secondary students to the basic skills taught in the Architectural and Construction Cluster could address a skills dilemma facing the Service Delivery Area. Successful completion of this course will equip these students with enhanced mathematical and mechanical skills that will enable them to obtain employement in the carpentry or production occupation.