Episode 286: Students Building Bright Careers in Construction Trades Program

Ryan Clayton:
My goal for the program is that it's all student run from management to building and I'm just here as an advisor.

Anthony Godfrey:
Talk about meaningful learning. It's a big deal. It's an outcome that helps improve people's lives. 

Ryan Clayton:
It's an amazing opportunity to put on your resume. You are actually taking somebody out of homelessness by building this house for them.

[Music]

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. These students are nailing it in a unique class designed to prepare them to be career ready in the construction trades industry.

On this episode of the Supercast, we take you to JATC South where it is all hands on deck as high school juniors and seniors build a tiny home on site as part of a new construction trades class.

[Music]

We're here at JATC South outside watching a new class and talking with a new instructor. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about this class.

Ryan Clayton:
Yeah, so I'm Ryan Clayton. I'm coming from industry. I own my own construction business. And what this program is is basically taking what you would see in industry and bringing it into our high school. So we are a construction crew here and currently we're building a house for a homeless community in Salt Lake City. It's all completely built by high schoolers. I mean I pitch in here and there to help with something, but 95% of the work is done by our students. All the way from the foundation, they put our center blocks down to raise it up and put our floor in, framing it. At some point we'll get to the point where they're going to do the siding on it, they'll do the flooring, the walls, everything.

Anthony Godfrey:
So this is construction management, so they're not only learning the actual construction, but they're also learning how to oversee a project and make it all fit together.

Ryan Clayton:
Correct, yeah. So this year we've kind of combined a trades class and a management class. Next year we'll do a trades class that will focus more on the trades, learning the trades. And we're doing a separate management class that will be managing those trades classes. So they're going to get that managing experience. So what you would see is what a superintendent would do or what a foreman would do or a project manager. So my goal for the program is that it’s all student run from management to building and I'm just here as an advisor.

Anthony Godfrey:
And this really gets on two needs in the industry, and you know better than anyone. I've heard that the need is not just for those who have the skills and the trades, but those who can lead and manage projects, as well, who also have those skills and the knowledge of construction.

Ryan Clayton:
Yeah, so for sure one of the biggest deficits we have in construction is management positions, and especially managers who know the skills. Because you can have someone with an MBA come in, a business major has all this business experience, but has no construction experience, and it's really hard for them to manage. So what we need is individuals who have that construction knowledge but can also manage a team. So this strikes a good balance between that and prepping those students for it.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know that not only is there an industry need, but there's also been a high interest from students in being able to participate in a program like this. Tell me about the enthusiasm you've seen from students coming in. I have, honestly, I've seen more enthusiasm from parents. Parents have been open house, parrot-tater conferences, they just keep coming, “Oh my gosh, I can't believe you guys are finally starting this program. This is awesome. This is exactly what my student needs.”

And the students are, some of them are a little apprehensive coming in, some of them are really excited, but man once they get going they've really been loving the program. Attendance for me has never been an issue. They want to be here, they want to be working.

Anthony Godfrey:
So when you come out of industry and you meet these students, it's got to be exciting to see that there are some great kids coming into the workforce and adding to the field.

Ryan Clayton:
Oh yeah, you'd be surprised how many general contractors from industry come and want me to hand-pick my students for them because it's so hard to find really good quality labor. Because these kids are going to get scooped up right away. I mean, for them to even just take the initiative of taking a class like this in high school is already going to put them so many steps ahead of other applicants for construction jobs that they're not going to have any issues finding jobs right after high school. Good, good management or trade jobs, whatever they want to do.

Anthony Godfrey:
What advice do you have for parents or students who are considering taking either construction management or the construction course?

Ryan Clayton:
My first suggestion would be if you're a junior, take my trades class first. Learn the process, learn what the trades do, and then as a senior take my management class. It's kind of my advanced class. That would be my first advice. My second one would be probably come prepared to be cold.

Anthony Godfrey:
Come prepared to be cold. We are standing outside. You know, this suit jacket is very warm, but I am a little bit cold.

Ryan Clayton:
You can ask my students, that blizzard came in on Thursday and we were out here working on that shed over there in the blizzard.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's real world experience there.

Ryan Clayton:
Yes, we finally shut down once it started really hitting us hard, but we work in pretty tough weather and school is during, mostly during the winter. They're off during the summer when it's the nicest time to do construction.

Anthony Godfrey:
So are they going to be looking for summer jobs that they're better qualified for, even earlier than graduation?

Ryan Clayton:
Yeah, so I have some of my juniors are actually, some of my juniors are doing apprenticeships. Hunt Electric, for example, does a great summer apprenticeship for high schoolers. A lot of these kids come from construction families, so a lot of them will go work for their dads or their moms in some specific construction industry.

Anthony Godfrey:
And those are the moms who are thrilled to have them in this program 

Ryan Clayton:
Moms and dads, who are thrilled to, well, and it's those parents who want to expose their– because some of these kids have been doing, you know, carpentry or concrete their whole lives. And their parents want them to come in here and learn the other trades, because it's so important to see the big picture, see the whole process of construction.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's where the management can come in too, where we have a broad experience, better able to manage those projects that you're hiring and working with. Now let's talk about the product. Let's talk about the, it would be called a tiny home, is that right?

Ryan Clayton:
Yeah, so we, what we did is we started with these sheds that you see on the other side, which are just backyard, small backyard sheds that you would see like a tough shed from Home Depot.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right.

Ryan Clayton:
And that's kind of our practice because this, what we're building here is going to be inspected. It's permitted. You know, Salt Lake City is going to come out and inspect that we build this correctly. So I want them to make their mistakes on our sheds before they make a mistake on this. And we, and not to say we've made mistakes on this. We've actually torn down three walls and rebuilt them because we built them wrong.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's how learning happens.

Ryan Clayton:
But yeah, so we built those sheds that we're going to sell and help fund more sheds next year. And then this one is through a program called “The Other Side”. They have all kinds of programs. They have their Other Side Moving Company. They have their Other Side Boutique.

Anthony Godfrey:
I heard a presentation from someone who's closely involved with that organization. It's pretty impressive.

Ryan Clayton:
It's pretty impressive. So they started "The Other Side Village" and it's a village that they're building these tiny houses from all kinds of different programs. Salt Lake Community College is building several and we're building one. The really cool thing about this program is that they provide all the funding for it. So they buy all of our materials for us. We don't have to try to allocate budget for this. I just put an order into Home Depot through their account. They approve it and then they send us the materials. That's the coolest part is that they're getting this experience and we are able to do a high quality thing like this without having to find the funds for it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Talk about meaningful learning. This is a big deal. And it's an outcome that helps improve people's lives.

Ryan Clayton:
Well, and one of my students today was saying, oh, you're just using us for free labor. And I was like, no, this is an amazing opportunity to put on your resume. You are actually taking somebody out of homelessness by building this house for them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Amazing. So I see all of the piles of lumber and tools and equipment and I can smell the sawdust. There's the sound of the blades and things going on. We've got a new portable here that is super sized, that we bought from another district that has all the tools and everything through there. In fact, as we talk, let's walk through that.

Stay with us when we come back more with the students who are building a tiny home on the campus of JATC South.

[Music]

Never miss an episode of The Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.

[Music]

Break:
In Jordan School District we never want a student to go hungry, without food, warm clothing, or school supplies.

Hi, I'm Mike Haynes, director of the Jordan Education Foundation. If you're looking for opportunities to help students and teachers in our schools, we invite you to join us. The Jordan Education Foundation works with generous community partners, volunteer groups, and amazing people to provide classroom grants for teachers, food and clothing to fill Principal's Pantries for students. And together we recognize outstanding educators in every single school every year. If you want to connect with an amazing community helping to fuel success in Jordan School District, get involved or donate by visiting our website at jordaneducationfoundation.org. That's jordaneducationfoundation.org. We hope to hear from you soon!

[Music]
Ryan Clayton:
Either way.

Anthony Godfrey:
We've been outside and we just stepped into the lab. This is a lab that we bought along with some equipment from another district, and I haven't been in it since it's been completed. It looks like a really nice workspace. Is this working out for you?

Ryan Clayton:
Oh, yeah. I am super grateful that the original plan was to have us just in a regular classroom up at North Campus. After learning the scope of what this program needed to be, I am incredibly grateful that the district was able to secure this building and give us the space that we needed and give us the space that we need to do big projects like this.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. So with all of this equipment and this space, and the things that you're building, Salt Lake City is coming to do the permit inspection before you move that home into Salt Lake City. You're operating, I understand, as a construction company right now.

Ryan Clayton:
Yeah, so at the beginning of the school year, we were a little delayed on getting our tiny home started because to pull a permit from a city, you have to be a licensed general contractor. Now, I have my personal license, but I'm not going to put that under my personal liability. So we had to get it set up with the district to become a construction company. So hanging in our classroom is our general contracting license. And as an acting general contractor and having my students as my students, but they're also considered my employees as well under the license, we are functioning as a construction company. We have all the rights and the abilities to build whatever a normal construction company, you know, Big D or Oakland. I mean, obviously we couldn't build on that scale, but...

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, this is thrilling. This is really exciting. It's something we've talked about for a long time. I'm really grateful that you've chosen to teach here. Tell me about what brought you here.

Ryan Clayton:
Well, my background is kind of interesting because I actually come from an architecture background. I have my degrees in architecture. That's what I wanted to go into was architecture. But then the pandemic happened and, you know, there was just a huge hiring freeze and it was super hard to get into any position. So I ended up falling back and working because the housing industry exploded during the pandemic. 

I ended up going and working for my dad's company during the pandemic. I mean, I grew up working for my dad's company, so I had tons of years of experience. But I like some of that office work, but I also like being outside working with my hands. This was the perfect balance of not only do I get to work with my students in the classroom and have that time, I get to work with them out there.

This has been just a thrilling experience because I was always worried about having to, you know, classroom manage and discipline. But these students are just so great that I haven't had any issues, behavior issues. They come here willing to work. And I've really, you know, I don't think I could leave now. It's just been so enjoyable.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love hearing that. Well, we're thrilled to have you here. And thank you so much for getting this off the ground. It sounds like next year it's going to be even better. 

Ryan Clayton:
I'm hoping so. Yeah. 

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with a couple of students who are in the construction management program. Go ahead and introduce yourselves.

Mason:
Hi, I'm Mason. I go to Mountain Ridge. I am a senior right now.

Austin:
Hi, I'm Austin. I go to Kings Peak High School and I am in 11th grade.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me a little bit about this program. What drew you to the construction management program?

Mason:
I guess I kind of just wanted to follow in my father's footsteps. He's been in the construction industry for most of his life. I figured I could learn something from myself here. So yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what does he think of your being in this program?

Mason:
He's pretty proud of me. I maintain good grades and I really enjoy this class. So yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about you? My uncle is my biggest inspiration. He's actually a general contractor.

Austin:
I really like working with my hands and power tools and building things. And I hope for one day to make this into a career.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK, awesome. What do you think? And Mason, is this what you want to do for work or are you just dabbling for now?

Mason:
Just kind of dabbling. I've done a couple of the J Tech programs. I'm doing construction management this year, and last year I did the welding program. I've just been kind of dabbling across the blue collar classes.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're going to be someone that lots of people call on the weekend, "Hey, I could use help with Project X." You might want to hide those skills a little bit. Your weekends may be taken up.

Mason:
Yeah. It really sucks being the friend with a pickup truck.

Anthony Godfrey:
The pickup truck and the skills. Tell me, what stands out as a moment where you really thought, "I did not know how to do this and now I'm really good at it"?

Austin:
Probably, the major thing would be probably reading a tape measure. I mean, I came in here, I could read the inches, but down to the 16th, 7th, the 5/8ths, probably that. And also blueprint readings.

Anthony Godfrey:
So measure twice and cut once. You don't even have to measure twice. You're that good.

Austin:
Yeah. Just measure once, cut once.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Awesome. Saves you some time. How about for you?

Mason:
I'd say the biggest thing I've learned in this class is just how to frame and just how to use a bunch of various different power tools. I mostly come from a family of mostly mechanics, so I'm mostly experienced with automotive tools and not construction tools.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow you really are in demand with that range of skills.

Mason:
Very.

Anthony Godfrey:
What would you say to a student who's considering being part of this program next year? What would your advice be?

Austin:
I would probably tell them, because I would say you would either be choosing the management if you want to learn all the instruction math, blueprints, readings, all that. Or if you want to learn how to frame or use power tools and stuff, I would tell them to choose the trade side of things.

Anthony Godfrey:
But it's a good choice to be part of the class.

Austin:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the teacher.

Austin:
Ryan is very good. He knows a lot of construction. If you need help with something, he'll help you. If you have a question, he'll always answer it for you. He's been a very good teacher this year.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now he told me that if you come to this class, you have to be prepared for the cold. You're wearing a t-shirt. That doesn't seem to bother you for one second.

Austin:
Yeah. There's been a couple of days where it's been a blizzard outside and I've worn a jacket. Or there's some days where it's nice outside and I just need to wear a t-shirt.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is it nice to be outside during a class?

Austin:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
How about you? What do you think about registering for this class? What would you suggest?

Mason:
I would say going into J-Tech, it seems really intimidating, honestly. But in the end, I've really enjoyed both of the J-Tech classes that I've taken. It's really given me a lot of skills that I think I'm going to use for the rest of my life.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a great endorsement. What's it like having Ryan as a teacher?

Mason:
He's a good teacher. He's serious at times, but he's also kind of fun at times. He takes the time to teach you in depth. As he said, if you have a question, he usually tries to explain it with something that you're familiar with or something like that for pretty much every student.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome. How does it feel to be working on a project that's going to end up reducing homelessness? You're building a home for someone who doesn't have one.

Mason:
It feels really good. It feels like I'm more directly solving the problem of homelessness.

Austin:
It feels good. I think of it as something that in the future I can take a look at this and say, "Wow, out of all these tiny homes, one of those was one of mine that I built to change somebody's life."

Anthony Godfrey:
Not everyone gets to work in a way that allows you to drive by and see the results. I don't get to drive by and see the emails I responded to. You do get to drive by and see things that you've built, and that's really exciting. Congratulations on being in a great new class and part of a really important project.

Austin:
Yep. Thank you. 

Mason:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.