The goal of re-establishing the trade industry, from plumbing to wood work, is in progress at Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School. Now the school has the assistance of the Connecticut Home Builders Association.
Dean of Students Jack Cervera Jr. said he was approached by Tim Murney, program coordinator of the Residential Construction Career Institute of Salem, last year, and he became interested in the program.
“[Murney] approached me, gave me a call, and explained what they would like to do,” Cervera said. “I heard about the Home Builders Association and the student chapters a couple of years ago…I thought it was a great idea because part of my duties is helping the students find jobs either while they’re in school during their work-study program or as they prepare to graduate in their trade. It is a great opportunity to hook up with the Home Builders Association and have all the contacts of the contractors that are members.”
Tim Applegate, president of the local Builders Association of Eastern Connecticut and owner of New London County Landscaping, has taken on the role of adviser to the Grasso Tech Work Development Team.
“I’ve been a member of the association now for eight years, and I’ve been very active with most of the community events that the association gets involved in,” Applegate said. “The reason I wanted to work with Grasso Tech is because I’m a graduate of Grasso Tech. We met the students…it will take more time, but probably by the end of the school year we’ll have the chapter up and running.”
Applegate intends to talk to the students about work ethic and guessed that a lot of them will have questions concerning how well their trade will pay off financially.
“I think the school’s doing a great job teaching them all the mechanics they need to know and what they will specialize in, but we’re going to try to help them to be better business owners and better workers in the long run,” Applegate said.
Grasso student and Groton resident Wilfredis Duarte said he first wanted to attend Grasso Tech to gain automotive skills but soon became interested in wood work. He is now involved in carpentry training and says the best part about learning his trade is being able to learn how to build things himself.
“My goal is to build my own house one day and have my own company,” he said.
He encourages others to try the trade, adding that there are many people who can do it but don’t know it yet.
“All you need to do is have a picture of what you want to build. Once you do that, you can do a lot of things,” he explained. “You actually have to pitch whatever you want to build. If it’s a house, you’ll have to be able to see it and put it on paper for a customer or yourself.”
He said he felt good after meeting members of the Home Builders Association.
“There were a lot of people there making a lot of money with their own company and that’s my goal,” he said. “Hopefully, one day, if I ever see one of those guys and I’m looking for a job, they’ll remember that we met.”
Eiryn Hernandez of New London is in the 11th grade at Grasso Tech and decided to be part of the Home Builders Association student chapter, though she plans to become a plumber.
“This is something that I love to do,” she said. “I really want to pursue plumbing. I thought [the Home Builders Association student chapter] would be a great opportunity...to see other fields.”
Cervera said seniors are now preparing to take their Trades Specific Test.
“It’s a national testing instrument with standards of knowledge for both written and hands-on for their particular trade, and they have to perform certain skills,” he explained. “I believe they go to a neutral test site, and we usually have contractors that do the judging of their skills and they have a set plan of what they have to do and they’ll hand that to them.”
Cervera said the carpentry students might have to frame a window or plumbers might have to make all the connections for a toilet, sink, and tub to function properly.
“This is the first year they have to pass it in order to graduate high school,” he said. “In addition to the CAPT test scores they have to achieve on the academic side, they also have to leave here with proficiency in their skill.”
He added that the school’s students have consistently scored above the national averages; the staff isn’t worried that this year will be any different.
After working as a guidance counselor in different school systems and running an evening program at Grasso for drop-outs, Cervera said he has stayed at Grasso because of the students, who he says amaze him. He mentioned a project some upperclassmen completed two years ago: a geothermal home in North Stonington, complete with woodwork, framing, and custom cabinets.
“It was like the things you see at Home Depot from professionals,” he said. “That blows me away.”
He gave another example of the school’s body shop. On a slow day a few years ago, some students noticed a bit of rust on Cervera’s ’91 Chevy Blazer.
“They went bananas on it,” he said. “They were cutting out panels, welding in panels, and they repainted my car two-tone from one tone. A 15-year-old girl painted my car, and it was a professional job.”