Previously published on October 18, 2022
Sioux City Career Academy students will produce a house every year in the new trades building program.
Over two years, the students will build the house to learn introductory construction, HVAC, electrical and plumbing trades.
The new trades building addition to the Harry Hopkins Center along Business Highway 75 is set for completion in November 2023.
In June, the school board accepted a $3.8 million bid from H&R Construction of South Sioux City. The project cost will total $4.15 million, counting architectural and engineering fees.
The 12,000-square-foot building is intended to provide a controlled environment for students to complete various building projects.
The students will start their junior year completing the outside of the building and during their senior year, they will tackle the interior, said Jim Vanderloo, director of secondary education. Each house will contain roughly 1,300 to 1,400 square feet.
Some of the courses in the first year include introduction to construction, framing techniques, drywalling, roofing and exterior finishing.
At the end of the year, students will receive a carpentry certificate and a wall framing and roofing certificate.
In the second year, courses include advanced drywalling, interior doors, cabinets and millwork, wall coverings, floor coverings, plumbing, footings, and air conditioning.
At the end of the year students will have received a drywall certificate, interior finishing certificate and a construction diploma.
Vanderloo said the diploma will qualify students to work in construction trades. The skills they learn gives them a basis to potentially gain an apprenticeship at a local company.
Read the entire story by The Sioux City Journal’s Caitlin Yamada.