MPS looks into skilled trade classes

McCOOK, Neb. — Careers in the skilled trade industry are booming and administrators at McCook Public School hope they can offer students opportunities in the field.

“It’s an area that really needs to be pushed and the school district is willing to jump on board to support those students who are interested,” said Superintendent Grant Norgaard at the McCook Board of Education meeting Monday night.

Skilled trade jobs, such as in HVAC and plumbing, are in high demand and don’t require a bachelor’s degree. Already, MPS partners with McCook Community College for high school students to take welding classes. Other, short-term trade courses at the college would be options for students, such as construction technology, plumbing, HVAC and others, with college certificates, not licenses, for those who complete the classes.

If the classes can be implemented, it could give students a taste of what a career would be like in those fields, Norgaard said, and possibly lead to apprenticeships in some fields. It would also allow students to get a leg-up in some industries. McCook High School principal Craig Dickes told the board that in the construction industry, where employees are in high demand, a student with a certificate in forklift operation or other skills could possibly earn a better starting wage.

At issue is how to integrate time, Norgaard said, as short-term trade classes at the college run a few weeks whereas typical classes at the high school go for a semester.

The school district also partners with the college for dual-credit classes, such as math and language arts, when students who complete the classes get credits for both college and high school. Plans are in place to add history as a dual-credit course.

MHS principal Craig Dickes said there are 90 students this semester currently taking dual-credit classes, with classes taught at the high school by high school instructors who have been certified by the college and have completed a Master’s degree.

Students pay for tuition and books but there are mechanisms in place to reduce these costs, such as scholarships, said MHS principal, Craig Dickes. It’s important that kids work with school counselors as to what their plans are for moving forward, Dickes said, so counselors can identify where the credits can be transferred.