The Warwick Area Career and Technical Center’s Construction Trades Program “hit all the nails on the head,” according to Robert Boisselle, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Rhode Island (ABC-RI).

ABC-RI is the local sponsor and accreditation body for the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), which developed a “state of the art” apprenticeship curriculum used in all 50 states.

By participating in a high school accredited program students get credit for those hours done in school and can essentially start their apprenticeship in their second year.

Boisselle said, “The students are getting the training they need. They are at an advantage having had those experiences in high school. The program is a real benefit.”

Boisselle along with numerous representatives from the construction industry, ABC-RI and the Department of Education visited the career center’s program in June, grading them on 50 criteria, in all of which Warwick received an “exemplary standing.”

“We couldn’t find much of anything to be critical about. All of our suggestions were so minor they didn’t even register,” Boisselle said.

Michael Haynes, one of the instructors of the program along with Brian Vadeboncoeur, said what sets the career center’s program apart from others is that their students receive “real world application” by actually building houses and working construction jobs outside the traditional classroom.

“Being able to go out on a job and see their skills put to use is what drives our students and makes them want to be here every day,” Haynes said. “This wasn’t a dog and pony show; they were seeing the program for what it really is.”

William McCaffrey, director for the Warwick Area Career and Technical Center, said the team was obviously impressed with the program, and that Haynes and Vadeboncoeur should be commended for their commitment to seeing student success.

Boisselle did, noting that the two instructors “aced” the review and their enthusiasm is “off the charts.”

Haynes said, “I came from a program like this and it saved my butt when I was in school. I feel like this is the best way for me to give back.”

By having students work on projects, the program can replicate a real world job site simulation that can’t be recreated in a traditional classroom.

“I’m proud of what this program has accomplished,” McCaffrey said. “This is the direction we want career and technical centers to go and we are already there. We set the bar for the state.”

Haynes said that for students, this accreditation only continues to ensure their employability after graduation, not that Haynes or McCaffrey said that is a problem currently.

Besides having more than 30 former students who now own their own companies, Haynes said, “A lot of the best contractors call us looking for employees. Any senior that wants a job has one, employers pick them up at the door.”

McCaffrey said, “We don’t need a job placement program because the employers are coming to us.”

Besides knowing simply the building techniques, the students in Warwick’s construction trades program learn and therefore must work within the standards set by the International Code Council (ICC). Earlier this year a group of the students were awarded for having passed the ICC’s building code test.

On their work sites students are not only overseen by their instructors, but also contractors and building officials who expect them to understand code and be ready to follow standards.

Currently, the career center is working through an approval process with the Department of Education to get the ICC approved as part of the curriculum.

As an instructor, Haynes said what made the accreditation so meaningful is that the review team was made up of professionals in the industry who “know what they’re looking for and see it in our students.”

“Things like this are a great example of industry and education coming together so schooling isn’t happening in a bubble,” Boisselle said. “Employers are voicing that these are the skills we need in our employees; that dialogue is critical.”

MODEL FOR THE STATE: The Warwick Area Career and Technical Center just received an accreditation from the ABC-RI for their construction trades programs. A unique aspect to the program is that students actually participate and work on real construction projects, such as building houses. Pictured are students from last year working on the framework of a house. (Submitted photos)