A Message from Mike

February is both Black History and CTE (career and technical education) Month. We are thrilled to be in a position to give all youth exposure to career options and a sense of purpose as early as possible. I want to focus on one example.

Last month, we completed Carpentry 3 - Residential Construction from the Carpenters Union pre apprenticeship program called Career Connections. This means that high school students nationwide can both explore a trade AND earn 16 college credits! That’s like 5 AP classes.

All the while using hand powered tools in regular classrooms making implementation accessible in any school.

The more youth from more backgrounds who can find purpose and career opportunities, the better. We are proud to play a part.

Please let us know what you think by sending me a note at mike@maplewoodshop.com.

Mike

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Did you know?

Why is there a CTE month? Because after decades of attempting to fit every student into a service/information economy,we now have major gaps in our workforce. Generational demographics are not helping either.

Lack of Skilled Workers

1⁄3 of skilled tradespeople will retire by 2028 leaving 3 million jobs unfilled
32% of skilled trade pros will retire by 2028 leaving 3 million skilled trades jobs open or
unfilled

Source: Where is the Next Generation of Craftsmen?” HomeAdvisor Insights Forum Rasmussen Reports 2014

Deloitte projects GDP loss of $2.5T over the next ten years due to a lack of skilled workers

Source: Deloitte Consulting. 2018 skills gap in manufacturing. Accessed Sept 26, 2022

Funding Sources

For CTE month, please explore Perkins grants which are from the Department of Labor and in many states, now extend down to 5th grade.

More information here.

Program Updates

All three books of Career Connections have now been adapted to work with hand tools. This 16 credit pre-apprenticeship program can now be delivered in any classroom, when offered as an elective, by any certified teacher.

The 2-3 year program includes over 100 hours of project videos, detailed lesson plans, rubrics, and assessments. The program also includes visits by Union council reps and visits to local training centers.

Programs are available in 10 states. Please reach out to info@maplewoodshop.com to explore this amazing opportunity!

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The Orange Pencil Award

87 Afterschool program! This innovative program has benefitted from years of thoughtful leadership of James Mitchell and now enjoys three wonderful teachers Leah Middleton (not pictured), Nicole Robertson and Joseph Calvarino.

Welcome to the Family

Santa Paula in California
We are excited to welcome Santa Paula to the Maplewoodshop family! We can’t wait to see the student’s projects and look forward to many years of partnership!

Upcoming events

American Camp Association Tri State Conference
March 12-13
Atlantic City, NJ

New York City District Council of Carpenters Training Center Open House
March 27
Manhattan, NY

Other Info

Hosting a webinar? Presenting at an upcoming state or regional conference? If so, please email hannah@maplewoodshop.com. We’d love to offer our support – from providing the most up-to-date information on CTE and woodworking, to sharing your upcoming session on our social media outlets, and more.

Write for us! One of the best ways to earn recognition for the work you do is to write about it. We are interested in submissions about implementing CTE in the classroom, experiences with project-based learning, teaching insights, and any new trends you’re spotting. Email hannah@maplewoodshop.com to learn more.

Contact us today to bring woodworking to your school this year.

Sawdust News February 2024