In Birmingham, one school is offering its students an education that will change their lives. The unique program is called Build UP, which enables students to earn a high school certificate while working as paid apprentices (学徒) in construction work. As part of their training, they remodel old and abandoned houses in their neighborhood!
At any school, the burden on students can be heavy, and for those in low-income areas, it is much heavier. "The kids that I've worked with during my entire career are all from disadvantaged groups with all the challenges that come with poverty," said educator Mark Martin. So he founded Build UP in 2018 to offer students a different kind of education: real-world training.
As far as real-world issues are concerned, for low-income communities, one of the biggest needs is housing. That's why Build UP made construction their main focus, offering a combination of regular and specialized classes. That way, instead of hearing the age-old question "When am I ever going to use this?" in a geometry class, their teachers are able to redirect students to a shop class (工艺课). There, students can connect those math principles to the building of a roof.
The program hopes to draw in students who are likely to quit school by offering wages for their apprenticeships. Students receive $125 every two weeks when they start out as apprentices and can eventually work up to getting $200 every two weeks. Upon graduation, they have the opportunity to get an interest-free loan to purchase the remodeled homes.
So far, they have been doing a pretty amazing job. And now with the help of a loan company, the program has the opportunity to bring their model to communities everywhere! They plan to first add similar programs in nearby neighborhoods. After that, they hope to train others to start similar schools and expand their network of partners — particularly construction companies that can offer jobs to their students.
