On Wednesday, January 25, 2023, City Council President Darrell L. Clarke joined School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington and labor officials to announce the successful launch of a 19-week initiative in Strawberry Mansion High School, which introduces students to career opportunities in the construction trades.
The program, which began earlier this month with 40 students in partnership with the Laborers’ District Council, introduces Strawberry Mansion High School seniors to construction techniques and concepts, including:
Residential wiring
Conduit bending
PPE use
OSHA Compliance
In addition, students also receive instruction in personal and career development concepts, including credit and budgeting, interviewing, and conflict resolution.
It’s important to note that upon completion of the program, students will receive OSHA 10 Certification.
Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington praised the program stating, “We’re expanding more opportunities for good paying jobs down the road. It gives our young people an opportunity to learn about some great careers related to career technical education right here at Strawberry Mansion High School. It also gives them the opportunity to learn about professionalism in the workplace and financial literacy. At the end of the day we want this to be the pilot to help our young scholars have life-changing opportunities or life-changing outcomes in the world of work. I want to thank the Laborers’ District Council and Mr. Ryan Boyer for collaborating with us. I want to also thank members of City Council and our legislators as we embark on really good construction jobs upon graduation.”
He also made it clear that this is a pilot that’ll help them garner ideas for the future. “It’ll help inform the district strategic plan that we are working on now, and we’ll announce later this Spring. It’ll help us determine what programs we need to continue growing; so our young scholars have great opportunities as they matriculate into the adult work world,” said Dr. Watlington.
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