LA County Office of Education and Probation Dept. Open Construction Training Program at Challenger Hall

A ribbon-cutting was held recently for a new construction trades training program at Challenger Hall in Lancaster.  Juvenile offenders will be trained in up to 20 trades skills, including carpentry, masonry, and plumbing in the "BuildingSkills:  Construction Careers for the 21st Century" program.  Completers may earn career-technical education credits for high school as well as a general industry certification offered by OSHA.  The program is planned to be expanded to three other camps, eventually serving up to 200 students annually.  http://hometownstation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28748:probation-education-vocational-clarita-2012-03-28-14-32&catid=26:local-news&Itemid=97

Central Valley Construction Careers Event Set for 4/13/12

The Central Valley Construction Career Awareness Day is set to take place at the Fresno Fairgrounds on 13 April 2012.  Approximately 1,400 Fresno area high school students, CTE teachers, ROP coordinators, apprenticeship programs, and colleges will participate in hands-on activities showcasing construction and trades-related careers available in California.  The event is hosted by the Associated General Contractors of California, San Joaquin District, among many others.  http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/news/construction/1287-fresno-event-to-promote-construction-jobs

Applied Technology Center HS Opens in Montebello

Montebello Unified School District opened a new $30 million Applied Technology Center high school for the 2011-2012 academic year; it features five academies: engineering; construction trades; health and human services; law and government; and hospitality and tourism.  The principal of the new school is Trish Lockhart, formerly of Antelope Valley High School.  http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_18838197

For a follow-up article on the community partnerships in place at the site, visit http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_18974538

NASDCTEc To Host GEF Webinar on Green Building Curriculum Project on 9/27/11

The Green Education Foundation will be holding a free webinar at 11:00 am PDT on 27 September 2011 regarding their new curriculum pilot projects for career-technical education, including a one-semester Green Building Course; the project targets 11th and 12th graders to learn about green building attributes and benefits, providing resources on how to improve the environmental efficiency of their own school buildings.  "Topics covered include: sustainable sites, energy sources and conservation, water efficiency and indoor environmental quality as related to building construction, operation and maintenance."  There will also be information provided on a new professional development resource for K-12 teachers on "Sustainability Education Concepts and Teaching Methods."  http://blog.careertech.org/

To access the webinar, go to  http://nasdcte.adobeconnect.com/r37lcw2zvl5/; no advance registration is required.

Contra Costa Office of Ed Holds Engineering, Construction and Manufacturing Camp

Approximately 60 high school students attended a recent summer day camp focusing on providing information regarding jobs and hands-on skills related to construction, engineering, and manufacturing.  The free camp had students participating in a “nail-off” competition, building sheds and bird houses.  They also visited Lawrence Livermore Lab, SunPower in Milpitas, the USS-POSCO Manufacturing & Engineering Plant in Pittsburg and a carpenters' apprenticeship training center in Dublin.  The camp was sponsored by the state, the County Education Office, Chevron, the Contra Costa Economic Partnership and Diablo Valley College, among others, and taught by local K-12 and community college instructors and community members; students received one unit of college credit for attending.  http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_18343385?nclick_check=1