By Jeff Brault, AICS
Last week, industrial technology students at Wildwood High School gained experience in construction trades through a tiny-house project. Atlantic Insulation and Construction Services (AICS) sponsored the spray foam insulation portion of the project. The project is currently underway, led by instructor Michael Crane but constructed entirely by the students. The students are not only learning the theory of home building, but also the hands on aspect.
This program at Wildwood High School seeks to address the desperate help situation we are facing in trades today. At 55 years of age, I have never seen the trades in such horrible condition. The lack of talented and qualified help is a discussion that continues daily among all business owners that cannot keep up. I often see service trucks displaying “help wanted” signs all over the area. We have pushed the theory of college too far; education is a must, but college is not! No, I do not have the perfect answer nor the fix all. But what I do believe is that we must work together and do our part no matter how small.
When the vocational teacher Mr. Crane at Wildwood High School reached out to AICS for help, he initially called to request a proposal. Once I looked at the project, I knew there was no way we were going to charge him. What I saw was the opportunity to get in front of the next possible class of tradesmen, both male and female.
These opportunities do exist – we just need to recognize them and act. I encourage anyone of interest to contact the school and see what these amazing young men and women have accomplished. Even for the students that will not pursue a career among us tradespeople, this is still one of the most rewarding and important parts of their education, and will certainly pay off down the road. I hope Mr. Crane understands how much a person like myself truly appreciates his efforts in the attempt to help with this issue. And of course, without a loyal customer base, we would not have the success that allows us to give back to these types of programs. Thank you to all of our customers!
For more information on AICS, call (609) 465-6670 or visit www.aicsnj.com.
