'Classroom on Wheels' Teaches Woodworking Skills to Young People
2022-01-19
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1Handing power tools over to young students could result in some disastrous situations.
2But if those tools are combined with effective supervision and teaching,
3 the students can learn valuable new skills and might even find a new career path.
4One such program, in Washington, D.C., aims to teach woodworking and finished carpentry skills to teens and young adults.
5It includes a woodshop, completely housed inside a truck, that acts as a kind of "classroom on wheels."
6The Mobile Woodshop program was started by the nonprofit Zenith Community Arts Foundation.
7It is currently based at Ballou STAY Opportunity Academy in Washington, D.C.
8Ballou STAY is an alternative education program that offers students job training and has a high school graduation program for adults over age 23.
9Margery Goldberg, Zenith's director, said the goal of the woodshop is "to get people jobs."
10Goldberg is an artist, wood sculptor and longtime member of the D.C. art community.
11She had long dreamed of creating a mobile woodshop to assist students.
12That dream finally came true in 2020, when the city gave her a large grant for the program.
13The program at Ballou is called a Pre-Apprenticeship Carpentry Training Program.
14The subjects and skills taught in the class are similar to those offered by a local carpenters' union that also supports the program.
15Students at Ballou can learn the same skills as a beginning carpenter would.
16These include cutting, marking, measuring, nailing and how to use different tools.
17The class textbook provides step-by-step instructions on how to make things like simple wooden birdhouses,
18to more complex wooden containers and objects.
19The truck is equipped with all the instructional materials and tools necessary to operate as a complete mobile classroom.
20Mobile workstations are also available so students can work on projects outside the truck.
21If students pass the class, they can seek to enter the union apprenticeship program.
22Instead of a usual four-year apprenticeship, graduates of the mobile woodshop can finish in less time.
23Joe Largess is a teacher at the woodshop.
24He said much of the class centers on teaching students "soft skills."
25These are skills that are desirable in all jobs, such as teamwork, having a strong work ethic, being able to follow instructions and arriving to work on time.
26Students also learn basic skills like math and how to read a ruler.
27The union wants "people who are employment ready," said Austin Travis, the woodshop's other teacher.
28"And that's a lot more soft skills than just being able to put all that stuff together," he added.
29Ryan is a student at the mobile woodshop.
30Before entering the class, he had some experience working with wood and tools.
31He had even helped a family member build a fence around a house.
32"That's why I started in the class, because I like working with my hands and I already knew how to work with electrical tools," Ryan said.
33"I wanted to give myself a chance to get better at it."
34Ryan said he sees another benefit to learning woodworking: "You can sell some of this stuff and make money for it."
35Building-related jobs are currently in high demand across the United States.
36One study from the Home Builders Institute found that 2.2 million jobs will be needed by 2024 to keep up with building demand.
37And, the U.S. Bureau for Labor Statistics estimates that more than 89,000 openings for carpenters will be created each year in the U.S. over the next 10 years.
38Goldberg believes woodshop programs can help prepare the next generation of woodworkers.
39She said other schools in Washington have expressed interest in the mobile woodshop and the program might be expanded in the coming years.
40Largess said the class at Ballou seeks "to help some people who wouldn't have the chance to even get into the apprenticeship program, and give them a leg up."
41That, he added, can "hopefully help them with a better future."
42I'm Dan Novak.
1Handing power tools over to young students could result in some disastrous situations. But if those tools are combined with effective supervision and teaching, the students can learn valuable new skills and might even find a new career path. 2One such program, in Washington, D.C., aims to teach woodworking and finished carpentry skills to teens and young adults. It includes a woodshop, completely housed inside a truck, that acts as a kind of "classroom on wheels." 3The Mobile Woodshop program was started by the nonprofit Zenith Community Arts Foundation. It is currently based at Ballou STAY Opportunity Academy in Washington, D.C. Ballou STAY is an alternative education program that offers students job training and has a high school graduation program for adults over age 23. 4Margery Goldberg, Zenith's director, said the goal of the woodshop is "to get people jobs." Goldberg is an artist, wood sculptor and longtime member of the D.C. art community. She had long dreamed of creating a mobile woodshop to assist students. That dream finally came true in 2020, when the city gave her a large grant for the program. 5The program at Ballou is called a Pre-Apprenticeship Carpentry Training Program. The subjects and skills taught in the class are similar to those offered by a local carpenters' union that also supports the program. Students at Ballou can learn the same skills as a beginning carpenter would. These include cutting, marking, measuring, nailing and how to use different tools. 6The class textbook provides step-by-step instructions on how to make things like simple wooden birdhouses, to more complex wooden containers and objects. The truck is equipped with all the instructional materials and tools necessary to operate as a complete mobile classroom. Mobile workstations are also available so students can work on projects outside the truck. 7If students pass the class, they can seek to enter the union apprenticeship program. Instead of a usual four-year apprenticeship, graduates of the mobile woodshop can finish in less time. 8Joe Largess is a teacher at the woodshop. He said much of the class centers on teaching students "soft skills." These are skills that are desirable in all jobs, such as teamwork, having a strong work ethic, being able to follow instructions and arriving to work on time. Students also learn basic skills like math and how to read a ruler. 9The union wants "people who are employment ready," said Austin Travis, the woodshop's other teacher. "And that's a lot more soft skills than just being able to put all that stuff together," he added. 10Ryan is a student at the mobile woodshop. Before entering the class, he had some experience working with wood and tools. He had even helped a family member build a fence around a house. 11"That's why I started in the class, because I like working with my hands and I already knew how to work with electrical tools," Ryan said. "I wanted to give myself a chance to get better at it." 12Ryan said he sees another benefit to learning woodworking: "You can sell some of this stuff and make money for it." 13Building-related jobs are currently in high demand across the United States. One study from the Home Builders Institute found that 2.2 million jobs will be needed by 2024 to keep up with building demand. And, the U.S. Bureau for Labor Statistics estimates that more than 89,000 openings for carpenters will be created each year in the U.S. over the next 10 years. 14Goldberg believes woodshop programs can help prepare the next generation of woodworkers. She said other schools in Washington have expressed interest in the mobile woodshop and the program might be expanded in the coming years. 15Largess said the class at Ballou seeks "to help some people who wouldn't have the chance to even get into the apprenticeship program, and give them a leg up." That, he added, can "hopefully help them with a better future." 16I'm Dan Novak. 17Dan Novak reported this story for VOA Learning English. 18_______________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20carpenter - n. a person whose job is to make or fix wooden objects or wooden parts of buildings 21alternative - adj. not usual or traditional 22sculptor - n. a person who makes sculptures, a piece of art that is made by carving or molding clay, stone, metal, etc. 23grant - n. an amount of money that is given to someone by a government, a company, etc., to be used for a particular purpose 24nail - n. a long, thin piece of metal that is sharp at one end and flat at the other end and that is used chiefly to attach things to wood 25apprentice - n. a person who learns a job or skill by working for a fixed period of time for someone who is very good at that job or skill 26ethic - n. rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad 27benefit - n. a good or helpful result or effect 28leg up - adj. to give someone an advantage over others