Building trades will be taught at two San Diego County high schools as part of a pilot program, the state Department of Education has announced.

The schools are Hoover High School in City Heights and North County Trade Tech High School in Vista.

Hoover’s Sustainable Academy of Building and Engineering and Trade Tech’s Green Build and Engineering Academy were among nine schools statewide chosen to be a part of the MC3, or Multi-Craft Core Curriculum.

Class work will include math, labor history, training to recognize and prevent hazards in construction sites, first aid and CPR training and an introduction to the trade industries. The programs also will include internships and mentoring.

“Career technical education gets at the heart of what we want for our students — real-world skills and knowledge that will allow them to succeed outside our classrooms,” said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. “The MC3 program makes clear to students that what they are learning in school can have a direct effect on their careers after they leave school, keeping them engaged in their own learning.”

Students will be recruited in the ninth grade and begin course work in the 10th grade. The curriculum will incorporate the new Common Core standards and meet University of California and California State University admission requirements, according to the state.

The idea, according to the Department of Education, is to enable young people to find jobs that require specific skills, preparing them for more than entry-level positions.

The California Labor Federation, the State Building & Construction Trades Council of California, and North America’s Building Trades Unions, an umbrella group for trade unions, helped to develop the program.

– City News Service

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