SAGINAW, MICHIGAN – Saginaw Public School District’s Saginaw Career Complex (SCC), in partnership with Saginaw Intermediate School District’s Career and Technical Education Department, was awarded a $10,000 CARES Grant from the Hemlock Semiconductor Community and Regional Empowerment Fund, administered by the Saginaw Community Foundation. Funds have been allocated to build a 48’ x 36’ pole barn to house materials for the Building and Construction program and to create additional space in the construction lab for student learning.
The Building Construction program at Saginaw Career Complex has grown in student enrollment by 342% over the last seven years. As the future for careers in construction is projected to increase to 7.5 million jobs available by 2026, additional lab space creates room for growth. The pole barn will serve as a storage solution to allow expansion within the program for increased enrollment, additional space for hands-on learning, and provide work-based student learning experiences during the 2021-22 school year.
Integral to the career and technical education programs, students must participate in work-based learning experiences that provide them with career training and preparedness. SSC students will be actively involved in constructing the pole barn alongside instructional staff. Local employers will mentor students throughout certain phases of the project, such as; pouring the foundation, slab-on-grade, and electrical work. The mentorship between employers and students provides opportunities for students to hone their technical skills, communication skills, inventory management, blueprint reading, and networking experience with their mentors and peers. This mentorship will also allow employers to become acquainted with students within the program which may help perpetuate necessitated skilled employment throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region.
Jenny Geno, Executive Director of Career and Technical Education at Saginaw Intermediate School District, said, “Work-based learning is one of the most impactful things a student can do to both prepare them for the workforce and assist them with identifying their career path. To make an informed career choice, experience is key. We are extremely grateful for funding to build the pole barn which provides a work-based learning experience for Saginaw Career Complex’s Building and Construction students.”
To learn more about the Saginaw Career Complex, visit www.spsd.net/scc.
About Saginaw Intermediate School District Saginaw Intermediate School District (SISD) is an educational service agency that provides effective and innovative leadership, services, resources, and programs throughout Saginaw County, Michigan. Saginaw ISD serves 12 local school districts, 5 public school academies, and 22 non-public schools, with a total enrollment of approximately 27,000 students. Public school districts supported include: Birch Run Area Schools, Bridgeport-Spaulding Community School District, Carrollton Public Schools, Chesaning Union Schools, Frankenmuth School District, Freeland Community School District, Hemlock Public School District, Merrill Community Schools, Saginaw Public School District, Saginaw Township Community Schools, St. Charles Community Schools, and Swan Valley School District. Saginaw ISD provides career and technical education, early childhood, finance, human resources, instruction, pupil accounting, special education, technology, and transportation services. In addition, SISD operates multiple educational programs to meet the unique needs of students ages birth to 26 across Saginaw County, including: Hartley Outdoor Education Center, Head Start/Early Head Start and Great Start to Readiness Programs, Great Lakes Bay Early College, Saginaw County Juvenile Detention Center School, and Special Education Center Programs. Learn more about Saginaw ISD by calling (989) 399-7473 or visiting www.sisd.cc.