DeKalb County High School has been awarded a grant to help improve building trades program. In partnership with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in McMinnville, the $125,000 GIVE Community Grant will help provide new carpentry tools and equipment for the school, and offer students technical college credit opportunities through dual enrollment.
“It’s really a win-win for us,” said DCHS Career and Technical Education Director Brad Leach. “We partnered with TCAT in McMinnville back in August, and helped them in writing the grant. We found out last Friday that we had received the grant for $125,000. It will be used to help prepare students for post-secondary education at TCAT McMinnville in carpentry along with buying brand new equipment and supplies for our carpentry shop at DCHS. It’s a real great award for us to be able to do that. Gary Caplinger, our Carpentry Class teacher, and I will be working with TCAT McMinnville over the next year to get our program in line with theirs.”
The Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) 2.0 is designed to foster long-term regional partnerships between Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs), community colleges, industry, economic development/workforce agencies, and K-12 to identify and address “skills gaps” in local workforce pools. Through data-driven and collaborative work, Tennessee can ensure that education institutions are producing the credentials employers need while also driving new industry to the state.
DCHS will partner with at least two industries or businesses in providing guidance and insight, advice, work-based learning opportunities, and job-placement. “Locally, we are working with two local industries/businesses with this grant, Curtis Builders Supply and Centro Cabinetry. They are offering us the ability to do some work-based learning with our students. I want to them (Curtis Builders Supply and Centro Cabinetry) for their involvement in this program in bringing kids in to where they can actually go out and do internships and participate in work-based programs to learn more about carpentry and what is involved in it,” said Leach.
Caplinger said this grant will be of great help in updating tools and equipment in the carpentry shop. “Although we have some updated tools this shop needs updating. Some of the tools in here are older than I am and although they are still pretty good the modern equipment is much easier to run,” said Caplinger.
The DCHS building trades program, which for years constructed homes and tiny houses, now primarily builds storage buildings and hunting blinds. “I appreciate the Governor and his investments in our vocational programs as well as the support we have received from our Director of Schools and the Board of Education in this endeavor,” said Leach.
