The DC Students Construction Trades Foundation today announced they have executed a Memorandum of Agreement to use the training facility of the Academy of Construction and Design at Cardozo Senior High School as the site for a new DC Apprenticeship Certification Program, providing instruction and hands-on training to employees of registered construction firms and contractors. Enrollment is now open for instruction that will begin in September 2007.
The foundation, with the approval of the DC Apprenticeship Council, will offer and administer the required apprenticeship education and related training. Technical and theoretical subjects in the trade areas will be offered in Cardozo Academy’s computerized classrooms and state-of-the- art learning labs, as the provider for apprenticeship related instruction,.
Enrollment is open to employees of construction contractors and firms that have approved, registered apprenticeship programs with the Apprenticeship Council and are in good standing with the DC Department of Employment Services’ Office of Apprenticeship. Individuals must be employed by a registered firm or contractor to be eligible to enroll in Level 1 carpentry, electrical or heating/ventilation/air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC) instruction.
DC Students Construction Trades Foundation board president John McMahon stated, “Since opening two years ago, the Academy of Construction and Design has generated renewed interest in career and technical education among our business, community, school and government partners.” Enrollment increased to 60 students in 2006, eighteen of the academy’s 22 seniors graduated in June 2007, and anticipated enrollment by 2009 is 120-150 District students in grades 10 through 12. “Our programs at Cardozo Academy are already having a positive impact on prospects for District youth,” said McMahon. “Through our continued collaboration with DC Public Schools and this new, innovative partnership with the Apprenticeship Council, we can also help working adults access career opportunities in one of the District’s growth sectors.”
“The Cardozo Academy of Construction should be commended for its vision and hard work in bringing this facility to the District,” said Lewis Brown, director of the DC Office of Apprenticeship Information and Training. “These apprentices will have access to first rate training to become skilled craft-workers in their respective trades. This school will undoubtedly attract the interest of more contractors to enroll their apprentices in the District for related instruction.”
ABOUT CARDOZO ACADEMY
The Academy of Construction & Design opened at Cardozo Senior High School in September 2005, representing DC Public Schools’ first new construction education classrooms in more than forty years. The DC Students Construction and Trades Foundation, a public-private partnership, operates the Academy in conjunction with the DCPS Office of Career and Technical Education.