Bedford County students get construction education, thanks to federal money
29 students from across the region are graduating from a basic class, paid for with federal money.
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ROANOKE, Va. – There’s been a big push for career and technical education over the past few years. Nearly 30 students from across the region are graduating from a basic class, paid for with federal money.
Levi Weddle spent the last sixteen weeks learning at the Build Smart Institute. His next step is a summer apprenticeship at Southern Air.
“I’ll be working 40 hours a week and getting paid to learn,” said Weddle, who is homeschooled in Bedford County and is finishing 11th grade.
Free tuition available for Bedford County high school students
Core Fundamentals of Construction Program is free to any student living in Bedford County
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Here’s the catch you have to be registered by Wednesday, Dec. 23.
The Build Smart Institute Core Fundamentals of Construction Program is free to any student who lives in Bedford County in tenth to twelfth grade. You can be in public school, private school or homeschooled.
This is all provided by CARES Act money and the deadline’s been extended. The classes are usually $1,800 and include an introduction to the industry.
“The construction industry has been starved for skilled workers for decades now. It’s only gotten worse over the past 40 years and really started to hit the industry hard at the turn of the century. There’s a real deficit even through the pandemic of skilled workers for the construction industry,” said Rob Leonard, Build Smart Institute director.